time out mumbai

Dibakar Banerjee Sujoy Ghosh Rohan Sippy Gauri Shinde Amole Gupte

Homi Adajania Krishna DK

Rajkumar Gupta Shakun Batra

Director’s special

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decode the 9 BESt PIctURE

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4 www.timeoutmumbai.net February 15 – 28 2013

Feature14 Highway stars Hindi films aren’t just limited

to the silver screen. We take a look at Mumbai rickshaws that pay homage to their favourite flicks.

Regulars06 Fortnightly agenda08 Inbox10 Mumbai Local10 Morparia98 After words

Lifestyle36 Travel bags Check out Sales & Events Fitness Events & talks

Food & Drink42 Pizza Wars Taste of Mumbai fest

Three questions with...Kelvin Cheung

Reviews Aoi, Skky, The Sassy Spoon, Teaze

Appetisers Hot Tables

Around Town52 Mentalist Lior

Suchard Events

Art56 Nityan Unnikrishnan Three questions with…

Nalini Malani Review William Kentridge Exhibitions

Books66 The Second

Homeland: Polish Refugees in India

Seeing Like a Feminist Reviews The Walls of Delhi

Libraries and events

Dance68 Acharya Parvatikumar Events

Film70 Kai Po Che Reviews Special 26, Zero

Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, This is 40

DVD reviews Moonrise Kingdom, Celebrity

Gay & Lesbian79 Hijra squads to

protect women Listings

Kids80 Tulika’s First Look

Science Books Things to do

Music82 Mahindra Blues

Festival CD Reviews

Classical Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan tribute

Live previews Shamim Ahmed Khan, Carnatic

Sangeeta Vizha Gigs and Concerts

Nightlife89 Tiga Reviews The Big Bang Bar,

Enigma DJ listings

Theatre92 The Ugly One A Behanding in Spokane What’s on where

Offers97 Win dining vouchers

from Grand Sarovar Premiere

Quote of the fortnight“We tend not to understand the preciseness of language. I went to buy a SIM card, and the mobile company was promising XYZ will be given “free” for `100. We are serving the gods of consumption society.” See page 58.

Oscar specialNine Bollywood filmmakers tell Time Out about the nine Best Picture Oscar nominees this year. We also take a gander at the movies nominated in the Foreign Language and Animation categories, and place our bets on the men and women nomi-nated in the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor & Supporting Actress departments.

Cover story

ON THE COVERGraphic Design Pramod Jadhav and Pravin Pereira

Suited up Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook

ContentsFebruary 15-28, 2013 Next issue out on March 1, 2013

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Around Townp52 Lior SuchardLet the Israeli mentalist blow your mind.

ArTp58 The Poems I Used to KnowSouth African artist William Kentridge shows for the first time in India.

nighTlifep89 TigaThe Montreal DJ returns to rave in the land that he first partied in.

food & drinkp44 The Taste FestivalTop Mumbai chefs dish out their best alongside lectures from international culinary experts.

Musicp82 Mahindra Blues FestivalChase the blues with Dana Fuchs and her talented friends.

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Don’t miss...The very best of Mumbai this fortnight

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What’s in store for Bhendi Bazaar?

TallclAIMs

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editor: Gauri Vijassistant editors: Karanjeet Kaur, Aniruddha Guha around town: Nergish Sunavalaart: Karanjeet KaurBooks: Sonal Shah dance: Ayesha Venkataraman Film: Aniruddha GuhaFitness: Mithila Phadke Food & drink: Aatish Nathkids: Mithila PhadkeLifestyle: Ayesha VenkataramanMusic: Deborah CorneliousNightlife: Gauri Vijtheatre: Saumya Ancheriintern: Yashasvi Vachhani Proofreader: James M MathewArtdeputy National art director: Pramod Jadhavdesigners: Prashant Gujar, Bipin Mohandigital imaging: Pravin Pereira PhotoSenior Photographers: Amit Chakravarty, Parikshit Rao Photographer: Mohnish DabhoyaWebeditdigital Content editor: Jharna Thakkardigital Writer: Vijayeta Basu

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redeveloping bhendi bazaar Just writing in to say what a wonderful issue you’ve put together! It’s such a “meaty” issue, packed with so much interesting stuff – Bhendi Bazaar, Kala Ghoda and the India Art Fair. I liked the way you’ve done the Bhendi Bazaar story. I can never get a well-rounded sense of things from a newspaper report – and this story made me see the whole thing through multiple viewpoints. It must have been so much work! Great job!Banoo Batliboi

The Bhendi Bazaar issue is fabulous. Especially the cover story. It had a great cover photograph and some very clever titles. It’s a superb mix of features, shops, interviews, residents and the plan page makes it a well-researched presentation.Pervin Mahoney

For a subject as dense as Bhendi Bazaar’s redevelopment, the opening essay was a good, fluid read and the pieces that followed really captured the historic locality and its issues. Naina Shetty

Lovely piece on Bhendi Bazaar. Keep it up. Deepak Rao

Lovely, lovely opening piece in the Bhendi Bazaar issue. Beautifully written, full of good information and clear as a whistle.Neha Sumitran

Fascinating – although I haven’t had a chance to fully read it all yet. My parents told me about this last year. Progress is a double-edged sword, no? We lose out on the charming eccentricities of a neighbourhood but the residents gain quality of life. Having been inside the homes of many a resident, I can’t help but see the project as a good thing. If it turns out the way it is envisioned. I will be crushed though if the local vendors don’t return. Bhendi Bazaar without bara handi paya and Tawakkal’s sweets is unimaginable.

It actually boggles my mind that such a massive undertaking

can be successfully executed in Bombay. Certainly sounds like the relocation has worked out well for the residents so far. My grandparents had their building redone under similar circumstances several years ago. Gotta say I was very sceptical but it really did go as planned. They had decent accommodation during the project and at the end of the day that building, which truly was falling apart at the seams, was rebuilt beautifully.Munira Wells via Facebook

The Time Out Mumbai edition this fortnight is incredible with the proposed layout for the redevelopment of Bhendi Bazaar. Kierkrogue @Lucifer_sam666, via Twitter

Tripping on Time Out Mumbai’s Bhendi Bazaar cover. It hurts us, precious, to see plans for my city’s funeral. Gladys Balakrishnan @mycrotchetyluv, via Twitter

Your food section in the Bhendi Bazaar issue was just in one simple word, wow! Thank you for uncovering those delectable choices. Ranjit Puri

Congratulations on Time Out’s issue on the Bhendi Bazaar project. You have covered all aspects of the proposed redevelopment programme very extensively. Your coverage is not just about the area but examines various angles of the project that is the politics, the people, the sociological aspect, the food and the shopping of Bohri Mohalla. For a person who does not know Bhendi Bazaar well, your cover story is an eye-opener as it is replete with so many details. it’s a keeper. Rafique Baghdadi

letter of the fortnight

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High teas for winter

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BicycleDiaries

The pedal pusher’s guide to the city

muSiC

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Festival round-up

dANCe

Ballet Preljocaj

PLuS

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interview


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Celebrating the city’s LGBTIQ community

Queer Love

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Lies to teLL tourists Killer bargain

Chor Bazaar’s best-kept secret is a shop of stolen

human organs. the labyrinthine

paradise is best known for bargain prices on other people’s valuables and gorgeous knock-offs, but those intimate with the area will be privy to a particularly sinister steal deal. Ask any shopkeeper for the special store selling musical instruments. Avoid looking shifty-eyed. take a quick look behind you – and with a thumb on your trusted speed dial – take the side entrance of the tiny shop crammed with pianos, accordions and harmoniums, and ask the large, bewhiskered man seated there for their most expensive organ. it could get bloody from here, but no guts, no gore.

Mumbai Local

Mithila Phadke bats for the city’s women cricketers.

When 22-year-old Apoorva Kokil and her teammates travelled to Srinagar

last year for an inter-university cricket tournament, they found themselves struggling to find seats in the train compartment. The Khalsa College contingent had boarded the train at Bhopal for an overnight journey to Srinagar. “None of our seats were confirmed,” recalled Kokil, “We had a match the next day and throughout the night, we had to keep changing places as those with reserved seats came in.”

The ICC Women’s World Cup is in town but for our women cricketers, such instances are the norm, rather than an exception. With low match fees and a shorter playing season as compared to their male counterparts,

women’s cricket struggles to be part of the mainstream. Hopes were high when the Board of Control for Cricket in India took over from the Mumbai Women’s Cricket Association in 2006, but the improvements have been marginal.

“The first two years or so were very good,” Kokil said. “We were paid for the matches, we had good hotel accommodation… but since then it’s been stagnant.” Sunetra Paranjape, who has represented India in tests and one-dayers, added that while cricketers are now paid match fees and play on better grounds, the number of matches has reduced significantly. “They don’t necessarily have to be BCCI-organised,” she said, “We should have more matches with different clubs and associations in the city, like we used to earlier.” Without enough local matches to hone their skills, women cricketers lose touch, and fitness levels dip. A typical season

lasts from November to January, unlike with male cricketers whose tournaments stretch from September to March. “I’m not sure why that is happening,” said Paranjape, “Perhaps the schedules of the men and women’s domestic matches clash, and there isn’t a ground available for [the latter] to play.” The BCCI had introduced a two-day

tournament in 2006, but scrapped it a couple of years later.

“In a year, we play about eight matches,” said Kokil, who is currently captain of the Khalsa College senior team and vice-captain of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad, “And that’s only if we qualify [for the next level]. Some teams practise the whole year and play in barely four.” Apart from the struggle to keep in touch with the game, there’s a distinct lack of financial security. Women cricketers often pay for their own kits, except for a handful who have managed to bag sponsorship contracts. “The men, however, have contracts with companies like Nike and Adidas,” said Paranjape.

Surekha Bhandare, former state-level cricketer and joint secretary of the Women’s Cricket Association of India, felt that low earnings often discourage women players from continuing with cricket for long. “When we started, we didn’t have money but

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Grave encountersInside the Raudat Tahera

A Bohri classmate once told me that she often visited an exquisite marble tomb just off Mohammed Ali Road. I took that road every day on my way to school in the mid-2000s but never spotted the mausoleum. In an area where mosques with lime-green minarets are ubiquitous, my imagination was piqued by this elusive, Taj-Mahal-like structure hidden from view.

Then in 2006, the JJ flyover was completed. Cars began whizzing overhead and vibrant street scenes were replaced by unnerving close-ups of people’s living rooms. It was in between playing peek-a-boo with startled residents that I saw it one day: slivers of a marble tomb, sluiced between unevenly stacked buildings.

It took seven years after that first glimpse for me to get inside the mausoleum. The tomb commemorates the 51st Dai-el-Mutlaq, or spiritual leader, of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Syedna Taher Saifuddin, who died in 1965. It has made news of late as the nucleus of the Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment plan, the nerve centre around which swanky residential and commercial towers will replace the the area’s dilapidated buildings.

For the most part, the tomb is only open to Dawoodi Bohras, whose conspicuous appearance – ridas for women and gold-embroidered skull caps for men – sets them apart from other Muslim sects. However, for non-Bohris like me, there is a tiny window around 5.30pm every evening when visitors can request to be taken on a 15-minute guided tour.

When we visited the tomb a few weeks ago (the trip was organised by the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust, the charitable institution funding the Bhendi

Bazaar redevelopment plan) the dome was shrouded in sturdy, white tarpaulin to prevent its pristine marble from getting damaged by falling debris from nearby buildings under demolition. Despite its awkward headgear, the dargah’s showy interiors were in startling contrast to the unpretentious neighbourhood.

Inside, the entire Quran is inscribed in gold on 772 marble slabs, quarried from Rajasthan, just like for the Taj Mahal. The phrase “Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim”, repeated 113 times, is inlaid with precious stones. According to a brochure printed for the tomb’s inauguration in 1975, Dawoodi Bohras from across the globe have funded the mausoleum.

A marble vault, holding the mortal remains of the 51st Syedna, lies at the heart of the air-conditioned mosque, bathed in the glow of a massive chandelier. Throughout the day, devotees throng the vault, kissing the cool marble surface. The deceased Syedna lives on even in the mausoleum’s design. The sanctum sanctorum is 80ft tall – a monument to the Syedna’s age when he died – and its dimensions of 51 ft x 51 ft symbolise his rank as the 51st vice-regent of the Fatemi Imam. The Kufic script, a form of the Arabic script, is used extensively in the mausoleum because he introduced it to India.

If the plan is implemented, the Raudat Tahera will sadly no longer be a serendipitous discovery. For now however, keep your eyes peeled when racing over the flyover. Nergish Sunavala Raudat Tahera Street, Bhendi Bazaar. Non-Bohra visitors must ask for permission from the caretaker. Daily 5.30pm.

Arched look A devotee prays before a door transplanted from Karbala in Iraq

there were people who helped us out,” she said, adding that it was also important to not let money be the overriding concern. “It’s your performance that is important,” Bhandare said, “Sometimes, the mindset is, ‘If I am among the eleven, I will get this much money. If I’m not, then this much.’”

Now in her sixties, Bhandare is much-respected on the circuit. Generations of aspirants have been coached by her, and many have gone on to play at state and national levels. She remembers a time when cricketer Alu Bamji organised the first women’s coaching camp at the Cricket Club of India during the 1970s. Women’s cricket was still a foreign concept then, but a number of matches were conducted between city clubs. Three decades later, Bhandare emphasised that there was no reason for women’s cricket to still lag behind. The efforts to create a pool of quality players, Paranjape added, need to begin at the school level.

While a number of educational institutions like Shardashram, St Columba and Chandrakant Patkar Academy have girls’ cricket teams, the numbers are still dismal. “As compared to over 180 schools that have cricket teams for boys, there are only 15 or 16 that support girls’ cricket,” explained Shubhangi Dalvi, a physical training teacher at the imposing St Columba Girls High School in Gamdevi. A former national-level kabaddi player, Dalvi wanted to incorporate sports to a larger extent at the school, and figured the national sport would be a good start. She started a girls’ cricket team, with the help of cricketer Madhav Paralkar, who had founded the Manoramabai Apte trophy for the under-16 girls’ team. “But today, while women’s kabaddi is now in the Olympics, cricket is nowhere close,” Dalvi said, wryly.

Students from the fifth grade up are part of the school’s cricket team, and play in annual

tournaments organised by the Mumbai School Sports Association, and the Mumbai Cricket Association. Unlike boys’ cricket teams that get to compete in a string of tournaments, like Harris Shield and Giles Shield, girls are able to play for barely two months in a year. “There is much less scope for practice,” said Dalvi, “So the girls are often not at their optimum fitness level.”

Sustaining the sport is also an expensive prospect, Dalvi said. St Columba’s ground has a tarred surface, and so the school had special mats brought in to make it possible to play there. “And we lose a ball every day!” she said, laughing, “When we had started, it cost 60. Now it’s almost `150!” The meagre income that professional women’s cricket brings in discourages them from considering it as a career. “There are so many talented players, but they end up taking up other professions,” said Dalvi, “A kind of frustration sets in.”

What needs to change immediately is the number of matches organised. “More can be organised over the weekends, and schools and colleges should be involved,” said Paranjape, “The girls can also play with boys’ teams –that’s not a problem.” Logistics aside, women’s cricket will truly flourish only when it has adequate support –both from the management and spectators. “Men’s cricket is where it is today because they have people crowding stadiums,” said Kokil, adding that women’s cricket is more about technique, rather than strength.

While Paranjape would ideally want each of her students to explore their potential, without the stress of audience interest and financial backing, practical considerations make her add a codicil. “I tell my girls to concentrate on their studies now,” she said,” Because people don’t ask you what you play, they ask you what you study.”

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Highwaystars

Much after the credits roll, Bollywood’s big show continues on the street, finds out Parikshit Rao.

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February 15 – 28 2013 www.timeoutmumbai.net 15

Mumbai loves its movies dearly. In return, cinema nourishes it by thriving in the city’s veins. Till date, Bollywood bellows from television sets beaming 1990s action flicks

at barber shops, while its soundtrack accompanies the city’s gods and grooms to their respective ends. Along the shore and highways, Hindi cinema looms large from billboards; it moans painfully in the lovesick ballad oozing out of a train commuter’s phone. Commercial cinema in Mumbai is racy, loud and a reflection of humanity’s emotional dilemmas.

This photo feature is about movie-inspired vehicle art that decorates a tiny per cent of the 1,50,000 auto-rickshaws (according to a World Research Institute-Embarq report) roaming the suburbs of Mumbai. Designed by local “radium sticker-walas” these vivid portraits attest the current trend in cinema as well as pay heartfelt tribute to a few acting legends. Auto-rickshaws sporting their 70mm hearts on their sleeve almost always resemble the movies. They swagger through red lights and know all the short cuts in town, and the boot is usually a flashy, bass-driven sound system. Every vehicle is unique, brimming with rebellion, just like the celluloid idols the Bambaiyya auto driver reveres.

Older actors like Dilip Kumar often get a role on the side-panel. He is a smiling motif hovering above the words, Naya Daur – a 1957 BR Chopra melodrama portraying a common man’s victory over a mechanised world. On the back of another rickshaw, Raj Kapoor



in his Shri 420 get-up is graciously named the “Millennium Star”. However, today’s action heroes clearly are the go-to people for ultimate street cred.

Salman Khan – currently the Goliath of Bollywood – doesn’t spare many rickshaws; his large muscles and grim face takes over windshields, rear and side panels. When you don’t see his visage, just the name of his recent blockbuster suffices. Sanjay Dutt, Vivek Oberoi, Ajay Devgn, and Shah Rukh Khan – all of whom have essayed the role of a gangster in at least one film – settle for second place.

It’s sweet pleasure to see Hollywood stake a claim on such savage turf. One morning in Bandra, Johnny Depp made an unusual appearance as Captain Jack Sparrow on the back of a well-maintained rickshaw. Umesh, driver of the Depp machine explained, “Mera dost Bandya – Bhandup se – usne yeh Hindi picture dekha tha. Usko bahut accha laga to usne yeh drawing kiya aur mere gaadi par laga diya” (My friend Bandya from Bhandup saw the Hindi version of this film and really liked it. He designed this sticker for me.) The Pirates of the Caribbean memorabilia cost Umesh only 1,500. He has never seen the film, and had no idea who the guy in the picture was.

Indian cinema recently completed 100 years and within that century the movies have had us hooked. After all, this is the country where temples are built for movie stars and huge cut-outs of heroes bathed in milk before a film’s first show. The peculiar Bollywood art that graces Mumbai’s rickshaws is a simpler act of devotion; a fan giving form to the madness called cinema. The art is ever-changing, depends heavily on box office trends, but at its heart is a cheerful reminder of what’s ticking with the man on Mumbai’s streets. Hopefully, this show of popularity never sees “The End”.


Prize catchA still from Beasts of the Southern Wild, nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The ceremony will be telecast

live on Star Movies on Mon Feb 25 at 6am, with a repeat telecast at 8pm. See page 32.

We tell you what to watch out for at the Oscars

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Though I had heard my colleagues (much more film literate than me) passionately discuss Michael Haneke’s earlier films, Amour was my first encounter with his work. I was told that Amour was a departure from his earlier films, dividing his fans the world over – some loved it, while others thought it was more sentimental than his earlier films.

When I watched the film, free of any pre-conceived notions about Haneke, it struck me, devastated me and then educated me about how to relentlessly pursue a theme to its inevitable denouement. Love and death are themes that could easily devolve into sentimental cop-outs, but Amour did not, and that too without any intellectual itch scratching that plagues much of

art-house cinema. Amour had intense emotions, but there was also intense truth – truth as had been promised by the premise. Another reason to cherish Amour is the performance of its two actors. Jean-Louis Trintignant is someone who never looks like he’s acting, much like Soumitra Chatterjee. Watching Emmanuelle Riva was special because she acted in another relentlessly intense film that both my wife and I are particularly fond

of: Hiroshima Mon Amour.Haneke’s earlier films,

as I found out in due course, were indeed a lot less “sentimental”

than Amour. It’s an educative path to take for me as I’m continually trying to avoid sentimentality in its completeness

when I make my (much inferior) films. The idea isn’t to become cold or uninvolved, but to focus on true emotions and not fudge them by adding fake drama. At the end of that path if I can reach an Amour, at least a part of my film learning will be complete.

As far as Amour’s chances at the Oscars go, I don’t really give a fuck because the Oscars, like any other mainstream awards ceremony, is a chancy compromise between middlebrow taste, star power, aggressive lobbying, technical showmanship and of course, genuine quality. The happy co-incidence is that foreign language films like Amour benefit – it’s the only category where the jury (perhaps) is less concerned about aspects other than quality. For me, Amour shows the way. Nuff said. As told to Aniruddha Guha

The triumph of intense truth and emotions

Michael Haneke is a tricky customer, as Dave Calhoun finds out.

AmourAmour is a portrait of isolation, of two older people whose flat is becoming a fortress to the outside world. How important was it to set the film almost entirely within one apartment?First of all, it’s the case that with old people, especially when they’re sick, the world shrinks to the four walls they live within. They shut out the world: it’s a challenge they can’t cope with. Also, I wanted to avoid making my film a “social drama”. There have been enough films that present these themes as a social drama, that deal with context and environment, with hospitals, ambulances and doctors. I wanted to make an existential drama that deals with the question: “How do I cope with the suffering of a loved one?”

Georges and Annes can afford nursing care and all the help they need. Why did you choose to make them comfortably off?It would have been possible to set the film in a social milieu where the people were poor, where they couldn’t afford to keep Anne at home and would have had to send her to hospital. However, the audience would have concluded: if only they had more money, it would have been easier for them. Which, of course, is totally false.

You give us a man coping with his wife’s illness. Why that way around – rather than the man being ill? I always wanted to work with Jean-Louis Trintignant, and in fact I wrote the script for him, and that determined how the story would go.

You draw two exceptional performances from Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant. It’s Trintignant’s first film in years.Yes, his last film was 14 years ago. In the case of Emmanuelle Riva, I was captivated – along with so many men – by her performance in Alain Resnais’ Hiroshima Mon Amour. After that film I’d lost sight of her. Dibakar Banerjee

Inset: Michael Haneke; Emmanuelle Riva in Amour



I’ve been a fan of Ben Affleck since he co-wrote and acted in Good Will Hunting in 1997. I have enjoyed his writing and acting, but I think he has really come into his own as a director.

Gone Baby Gone, his first directorial effort, was a great thriller that had me guessing all the way through it, and was soaked in a wonderfully dense Boston milieu. He followed that up with The Town, a modern take on the heist film, and yet again rooted in his hometown. As a director, I know that one of the hardest things to define is a film’s tone, yet it is one of the most visceral reactions we have to a film. And Affleck managed to nail that in The Town, which bolstered my view that he was a serious directing talent.

And that brings us to Argo. Affleck stepped out of Boston

for the first time, choosing to tell a story set in Iran and LA, and brought levity to a thrilling, audacious hostage drama. He began with stark, hostile images, and bookended his film with the actual journalistic images from that time.

It was the perfect frame for Affleck: he identified extraordinary source material, and made us relive actual happenings palpably. But he departed from real events liberally too, to make an extremely engaging human story. A great ensemble cast portrayed unforgettable characters – from Affleck’s Tony Mendez to the Hollywood duo played by Alan Arkin and John

Goodman. Once again, the overall tone of the film was fresh and compelling, and helped this drama succeed in an age where costumed, CG-heavy superhero franchises are dominant.

As far as his “snub” for a Best Director nomination at the Oscars goes, I think Affleck summed it up best on the night he won best director for Argo at the Golden Globes. “I’m really grateful. We got nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture. I was thrilled. I mean, if you can’t be happy with that, your prospects for long-term happiness are

probably pretty dim.’’ That response,

perfect in tone, is partly why he is rapidly turning into one of my favourite directors.

Ben Affleck has the knack for getting the tone right

Ben Affleck achieves the look, feel, and almost smell of the late 1970s, writes Tom Huddleston.

ArgoIt’s a little-known fact that Ben Affleck – celebrity totty, tabloid bait and esteemed filmmaker – has a degree in Middle Eastern Affairs from the University of Vermont. It’s a qualification he puts to good use in Argo, a nail-biting thriller based (fairly loosely) on real events which, for the majority of its length, manages to avoid the expected Hollywood clichés about the Middle East and promotes a balanced view of America’s dealings with that troubled region.

It’s 1979, and after the fall of the Shah, supporters of the new Islamic rulers of Iran have laid siege to the US embassy, demanding the return of their former leader for trial. But six embassy employees have escaped, and are hiding out in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Enter Tony Mendez (Affleck), a CIA exfiltration expert with a crafty if bizarre plan: posing as a film producer – complete with sci-fi script, production sketches and an ad in Variety – he’ll smuggle the six back to safety.

For 100 minutes, Argo is close to flawless. Unashamedly modelling his directorial style on the stark, serious ’70s thrillers of Alan J Pakula and Sidney Lumet, Affleck cranks up the tension. The script is witty and insightful, contrasting US and Iranian popular reactions to the crisis: it’s “Death to America” versus “Ayatollah Assaholla”. There’s not enough attention paid to character development – Mendez, in particular, never comes into sharp focus – but that was true in the Pakula/Lumet films, too, and it’s mitigated by a superb cast, notably Alan Arkin as an irascible Hollywood old-hand.

But the film’s most abiding pleasure is the period detail: using multiple film stocks and reportedly blowing up some of the 35mm footage for a grainier texture, Affleck achieves the look, feel, and almost smell of the late 1970s. From the opening old-school Warner Bros logo – snatched from a crackly ’70s print – to the closing montage of real photos of the hostages, there’s a commitment to minutiae which enriches the experience beyond measure. Rohan Sippy

John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Ben Affleck in Argo



A story, I’ve always believed, is the soul of any film and Beasts of the Southern Wild has a very strong plot, in addition to a smooth – almost flawless – narrative. I found the whole aspect of the film being about this community living on the fringe interesting; the story could be set anywhere in the world. There’s some sort of emotional manipulation involved in the way the story’s told, surely, but it’s done in an honest, simple manner by first-time director Benh Zeitlin.

The most amazing thing about the film was that Zeitlin could extract a performance out of the six-year-old girl, Quvenzhané Wallis, which almost drives the film single-handedly. I liked the fact that the girl narrates the story through a voiceover. We react to voiceovers in a movie in

different ways, and personally, this one took me to a space I presume the director wanted me to go – I wanted to listen to her story once she started narrating it.

I watched Terrence Mallick’s The Tree Of Life only a couple of weeks ago, and I found Zeitlin’s vision to be as poetic, even as his voice is very original. I like basic human emotions to drive a story, and it’s commendable that despite making a film with a canvas as big as he did, he ensured that you remember that it’s the girl’s story at the end of the day. Even though

there’s a sense of foreboding among the characters, it isn’t overtly sentimental; the girl and her father don’t hug even once. They have their own instincts and ways of wading through the relationship.

Overall, though, while I liked the film, I may have

watched it with too many expectations,

and that took away some of the film’s charm for me. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I discovered it.

Nothing beats the joy of stumbling upon a great film without expecting it. As told to Aniruddha Guha

A story narrated in an honest, simple manner by a first-time director

Benh Zeitlin tells Nick Dent how he made the most apocalyptic film of the year.

Beasts of the Southern WildDo some people really live the way Hushpuppy and Wink do – off the grid, no electricity, at the mercy of the elements?The Bathtub is very much a fantasy, but there are places down south of Louisiana that are being cut off by levees and they are going through this exact type of catastrophe where their land is falling apart out from under them, storms are coming more regularly, they’re having to figure out how to survive. The film has a very freeform style to it. Was its creation essentially freeform, or was it actually a quite disciplined set?It was a designed chaos. We put in a ton of work before we started shooting; doing improvisation and interviews with the actors, massively rewriting the script during that time to adapt to the location. But even at that point, when you put a kid on a boat, things go wrong, so you have to constantly be able to react to what’s happening on set. How did you know you had found the little girl to star in it?When Quvenzhané first came in she just had this incredible focus. I’d do exercises with her where I’d say, “OK, you just stepped on a nail,” and she wouldn’t pop out of character, she wouldn’t overact pain, you could see in her eyes she was feeling a lot of pain. It was mind-blowing that someone that age could give such an advanced performance. Some commentators have said the movie glamourises poverty or it’s like cultural tourism. The film is really not about poverty but self-sufficiency. In Bathtub, food is in unbelievable abundance, they pull their meals out of the water, they have a system of educating their children about what they believe in. Gauri Shinde

Inset: Benh Zeitlin; Quvenzhané Wallis in a scene from Beasts of the Southern Wild



As crap an actor as he is, Quentin Tarantino is a highly gifted filmmaker. He has an innate ability to present many of our darkest thoughts as the most casual of acts. With probably his finest work, Inglourious Basterds, preceding this gig, Tarantino seems to have held up well with Django Unchained.

Homage to the spaghetti western and an imaginative historical analysis of pre-civil war America, Django Unchained is Tarantino’s spaghetti southern! I would love to ask Tarantino how much blood he thinks exists in the human body? And as his frames are awash with an ocean of viscera, Django Unchained turns out to be a thought-provoking,

disturbing and hilarious outing. The film marries pulpy trash and great art in Tarantino’s inimitable way. It is packed with graphic violence (body parts exploding), brilliant writing and music and some great performances (Christoph Waltz and Samuel Jackson are sublime).

Tarantino has not in any way whatsoever sugar-coated his cultural take – the unimaginable pain that the slaves must have endured during a pathetic and

shameful time for humanity comes through. And even though the journey is infused with heavy

doses of zany humour and historical facts are bent

ever so creatively, a shocking reality does

ring true.My grouses

with the

film have to do with the writing of the female protagonist (Kerry Washington). Unlike Tarantino’s inimitable heroines of the past, here we have a character –Broomhilda – who does not allow one to emotionally invest in her. As a result, her fate is of little concern to the audience. Also, the third act falters and bumbles along. Yet, the film ends up leaving you entertained because of the brilliant bits that make a questionable whole.

It is a story of revenge, love and friendship all blended into Tarantino’s world where the implausible seems so very believable. So if you don’t mind watching nuts being lopped off and people being killed unapologetically, then Django Unlimited will work for you.

Either way, just remember that the D is silent.

A thought-provoking, disturbing and hilarious outing

Quentin Tarantino talks to Time Out about his first full-blown spaghetti western.

Django UnchainedWhen did the Django Unchained plot first come to you?Oddly enough, it came to me during my Inglourious Basterds press tour. I was in Tokyo, where you can get all these great spaghetti western soundtracks, and I was listening to them, when the story came to me. It’s changed since then, but I wrote the first scene in Tokyo. Then it took me six months to finish the script.

What do you believe Jamie Foxx has brought to the role of Django?Jamie is terrific. He understands the character, cares about the subject and gets the history of it. He is acting for me and for himself, but also for his ancestors. And at the same time he’s being this

iconic spaghetti western hero.

What can you say about Christoph Waltz?He reminds me of Lee Van Cleef. Christoph delivers his scenes as brilliantly and magnificently as you’d imagine. And

more than that, he also forms a fantastic team with Jamie. Their horses are called Tony and Fritz – the first two huge cowboy superstars were William S Heart and Tom Mix, and their horses’ names were also Tony and Fritz.

Your love for genre films, especially westerns, is evident in this movie.I’ve been evoking westerns in quite a few of my films, such as Kill Bill Vol 2 and also Inglourious Basterds. When we did the opening sequence of Inglourious Basterds, my script supervisor, Martin Kitrosser – who has worked on every movie I’ve ever made – said: “Quentin, this is your first western!” Now I can stop evoking them and commit to shooting one.

What is the movie’s music like?There will be a lot of spaghetti western sound. And, as usual, I’ll use stuff from my record collection.Homi Adajania

Inset: Quentin Tarantino; Christoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained



Anne Hathaway’s performance makes for cinematic magic, writes Joshua Rothkopf.

Les MisérablesOf all the ’80s supermusicals, this one – less silly than Cats, more timely than Phantom – beats loudest in the hearts of the Broadway faithful, and for the good reason that it feels like a real piece of art. French rebellion aches with universal compassion; all of Victor Hugo’s fantastical plotting is countered by the downer-dramatic ballad “I Dreamed a Dream.” In Tom Hooper’s powerhouse film version, Anne Hathaway, as the ruined Fantine, demolishes this number, live-singing a single, Falconetti-worthy take choked with pain and fierce regret. (You can only imagine the rioting on 45th Street had she been less than perfect.) Just for this small piece of movie magic, instantly iconic, the big-screen Les Miz is a triumph.

Then there’s the rest of it, and you probably already know where you stand. Russell Crowe’s pained vocal stylings (they sound more like barks) as relentless Inspector Javert can be forgiven after hearing Hugh Jackman’s old-pro fluidity in the central role of Jean Valjean, hiding a criminal past. The faintly unrealistic world that Hooper emphasises with wide-angle strangeness could be a function of the mysterious abstraction of musicals themselves – a leap of faith that fewer viewers are able to make these days. Overall, you might just be wrecked and need a hug. And remember to be generous with any naysayers and spread your arms wide; they will probably be weeping as well.

Given that director Tom Hooper’s last film, The King’s Speech, was so good and that Les Misérables has been nominated in the Best Picture category at the Oscars this year, I found the film to be rather underwhelming. It must have not been an easy film to make, given that the story traverses across years and has a period setting. Besides, even by traditional musical standards, Hooper adopts a rather unusual storytelling technique where almost the entire film is in a musical format with hardly any dialogue being spoken at all, rather than songs punctuating

The cinematography does no justice to the film’s canvas

dialogues as is the norm. It’s like watching Broadway on the big screen.

My problem with the film isn’t so much with the style Hooper adopts, but more to do with how he hasn’t really managed to make it engaging enough. Getting the actors to sing may have seemed like an interesting idea, but the result isn’t exactly great. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, of course, are really good, but Russell Crowe seems miscast.

There are too many things happening, and the narrative is very confusing. I was left wondering whether it was meant to be a cop-and-thief story, a love story, or an intense drama about the French Revolution. Every time I got involved in a certain aspect of the story, it was pulled away from me – I was never sucked in.The film’s cinematography belies its canvas. It’s mostly shot in closed spaces, with most actors captured in low-angle close-ups. Initially, it seems like an interesting filmmaking technique but gets tedious after a point. The King’s Speech was shot in similar closed spaces, but the nature of the story complemented it well. That’s not the case with Les Misérables.

Hooper’s forte, clearly, seems to be the work he gets out of his actors, and he has once again extracted some great performances from his principal leads. However, a clearer narrative would have helped the film’s cause greatly. As told to AG

Rajkumar GuptaAnne Hathaway and Hugh

Jackman in Les Misérables



I had the opportunity to meet Ang Lee when he was down in Mumbai to show portions of Life of Pi to a select audience. The way he spoke about the effort that went into making the film, and given the time he spent in achieving the results he did, it’s impossible to distinguish between the man and his film. He has an honest concern for humanity, and that comes through in Life of Pi – his philosophy drives the film.

We function in a time when pure philosophy has been missing in our films – there’s some kind of reverse snobbery against that. Just when the see-saw seems to be getting heavy on the other side, Ang Lee manages to get audiences inside theatres for a truly philosophical experience. I tried reading Life of Pi the book thrice,

Ang Lee makes philosophy accessible to audiences

Ang Lee tells Tom Huddleston about how he messed up certain shots in Life of Pi to make the CG look real.

Life of PiWhen did you first read Yann Martel’s novel?A friend introduced it to me. It’s the kind of book people introduce to each other. I thought it was fascinating and mind-boggling. But I didn’t think it was a movie. I read it, and I put it aside. Then four years ago, Fox approached me. I was busy making another movie, but I kept thinking about that offer. Then, out of nowhere, I thought of 3D. It didn’t really exist for artistic endeavour back then, before Avatar. I thought: Maybe with this new dimension, there’s some kind of chance.

You use both CG and practical, in-camera effects. How important was it to get the balance right?The best use of effects is to mix real elements with CG. If a shot is all CG, even if it’s scientifically accurate, it doesn’t look right to our eyes. More often than not, I had to mess up the shot, make it worse,

because that’s how film looks.

How was it working with a live Bengal tiger?We had four tigers. The main character was King, seven years old, 450 pounds, gorgeous animal – we modelled the CG tiger onto him. We scanned him, shot a lot of references: how every hair catches the light, how every muscle moves, how the tail curls around. Another important thing is the weight distribution of a tiger on a rocking boat. That is very hard to get right.

Were there things you wanted to say with Life of Pi besides what is expressed in the book?It starts with the book. The book is a bible. But when you struggle with something, you forget the

book – you just try to make the scene work. I wanted to examine not so much the literary imagination, but cinema. That’s my world, that’s my illusion-making.

Amole Gupte

and put it aside each time. The film, however, ensured I was engaged, and at the same time charmed me with its cinematic brilliance.

Having been part of his earlier works as a viewer, I can safely say Lee is a versatile thinker unlike, say, Terrence Mallick who pretty much thrives on intensity. And unlike greats like Andrei Tarkovsky, who I have always been a big fan of and whose films need repeated viewings to grasp their philosophy entirely, Lee makes philosophy accessible to audiences. He knows he has the support of the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon fan, who won’t want to miss his film, and at the same time he won over a fresh audience with this film.

I would rate the 3D in Life of Pi two notches above that of Hugo. It’s not so much about the scale; rather it’s about the stillness, and watching the world from underneath the water. There’s something quaintly poetic about it. Watching Life of Pi is a lot more than just spending an afternoon at the movies. It’s a rare surreal experience. As told to AG

Inset: Ang Lee; Suraj Sharma in Life of Pi



Tony Kushner’s script is a masterpiece of miniature portraiture, writes Dave Calhoun. LincolnIn Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, Daniel Day-Lewis plays America’s favourite president, as a benign, wise, ageing goat. He can bare his teeth, but prefers to chew doubters into submission, like he’s turning over an old can between well-worn teeth. He launches into gentle, storytelling monologues as if employing stealth weaponry: the young and green lap them up; the seasoned and weary roll their eyes, submitting to conversational death by a thousand anecdotes.

This is not a cot- to- coffin biopic, even if that carved-in-granite title suggests otherwise. Instead, Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner (Munich) – drawing on a book by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin – delight in the backroom wrangling and public rhetoric that in 1865 led to the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, outlawing slavery. This is Spielberg in the historical mode of Schindler’s List but with his more epic and populist wings intriguingly clipped by a story that mostly takes place over just a few weeks in January 1865.

Kushner’s script is a masterpiece of miniature portraiture. The film’s thrust is the countdown to a vote as Lincoln and his agents battle to find enough Republicans and Democrats to back the amendment while simultaneously keeping end-of-war negotiations on track.

Especially electric is the push and pull between Kushner’s talky, microscopic script – unafraid of politics, long scenes and four walls – and Spielberg’s attraction, in cahoots with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, to quietly iconic moments: Lincoln’s famous beard silhouetted against the night or the faint shadow of soldiers riding past Ulysses S Grant (Jared Harris) and Lincoln as they chat on a porch. This doesn’t mean Lincoln is free of heavy-handed moments – an early encounter between Lincoln and some young soldiers verges on the corny and there’s some near-slapstick stuff involving spivvy lobbyists. But mostly Spielberg finds a happy balance between the sober and the stirring, and even John Williams’s score is relatively muted.

Lincoln isn’t conventional in any way. It’s meant to be a biopic, but even then it doesn’t focus on the entire life of a person, but only the last few months, and his efforts to have the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution passed. It’s a dry subject, with no natural, inbuilt drama – it’s like reading a very boring book. The challenge, then, is to create drama and who better than Steven Spielberg to do that.

It is a slow-paced film, yet Spielberg’s made a riveting drama by picking the right moments to show on screen, and by making small unimportant anecdotes interesting. The screenplay is

paced so beautifully that it has you glued throughout.

Lincoln is a classic Spielberg film. The director has a standard trick, where he builds drama throughout a film, irrespective of the genre he’s dabbling in. His Munich, for example, had an inherent action-packed plot, and while Lincoln doesn’t have that, its structure is just as interesting.

You need a Daniel Day-Lewis to shoulder a film like Lincoln. His portrayal of the US president is incredibly accurate – of course

it’s largely based on perceptions and from whatever you’ve seen in pictures: tall, stooped, etc. With Day-Lewis, it’s very easy to believe

that the character on screen is Lincoln. There’s tremendous hype around the actor; even if he coughs unintentionally, you are compelled to believe it’s authentic. But that’s also because he does such a brilliant job every time, as he has in Lincoln. Personally, though, I enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones’ performance more. He’s got a fun character, someone who’s abusive and gives it back, and Jones has nailed the role.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Argo, Lincoln’s the best among the nine films. Argo’s more of a crowd-pleaser, while Lincoln never deliberately tries to please the audience beyond Spielberg’s natural tendency to makes things entertaining. As told to AG

A Spielberg film

Krishna DK

Daniel Day-Lewis in and as Lincoln



Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are about more than just flashy good looks in this pacy comedy, says Cath Clarke.

Silver Linings Playbook In David O Russell’s new comedy, two of Hollywood’s new favourite actors, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence (he’s the alpha-guy in The Hangover, she’s the devil-tough Katniss from the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games) have recently suffered breakdowns. Oh, and they bond through the medium of modern dance. Sounds like a textbook case of actors rattling the worthy tin for prizes? Funnily enough, not this time. Silver Linings Playbook zips along on its off-beat energy and fast-paced, wisecracking script. It’s undemanding, but funny, honest even, about the issue of mental health without being patronising (most of the time) and best of all, it’s brilliantly acted.

After a nasty incident involving his ex-wife’s lover and a bipolar diagnosis, Pat Solitano (Cooper) has spent eight months at a psychiatric ward. Back at home living with his folks, he’s convinced that his ex is waiting for him to get better (in spite of that restraining

order). His dad (Robert De Niro, gilding the lily) is an illegal bookie who’s borderline obsessive and has anger issues. Pat’s long-suffering mum (played by the incredible Jacki Weaver) holds the dysfunctional family together with her warmth.

This world isn’t a million miles from Russell’s last film, The Fighter. And the Solitano household reminded me of that old line about home being the only place where they have to take you in.

When Pat meets Tiffany (Lawrence) and discovers that she’s friends with his ex-wife, he agrees to be her dance partner in a local talent competition – if she passes a note to his ex. In an oddly touching scene, the pair bond over prescription drugs (“They just take the light out of your eyes, don’t they”). The acting is sparky and intelligent, with Cooper proving there’s more to him than flashy good looks. As for Lawrence, she acts every role like there’s a soulful storm raging inside of her.

When I was in film school, I found out that Woody Allen had recommended a film called Flirting with Disaster. Being a fan of the filmmaker, I had to check it out and that’s how I discovered the brilliance of David O Russell. I then looked up his other films, I Y Huckabees and Spanking Monkeys, both of which I loved too. Russell has a knack of picking serious issues and soaking them in humour – Flirting with Disaster spoke of incest, but it was funny. Three Kings, again, was a black comedy on war.

The moment I saw the Silver Linings Playbook trailer, I was up for it. A screwball-ish comedy with a mental illness at the centre of things – it seemed like a quintessential Russell film and

I, the fan, couldn’t wait to see it. You could blame it on increased expectations, but I found the film to be underwhelming. It’s not as if I didn’t like it, but it left no impact on me – I wasn’t thinking about it the next day.

It’s strange to have Russell nominated for Best Director instead of Ben Affleck for Argo, but I guess it’s the Academy’s way of making up for not recognising his earlier films. Again, even though Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro totally deserved their nominations, I wonder how Bradley Cooper and Jacki Weaver got through. Cooper stole what is rightly John Hawkes’ spot; the actor was incredible in The Sessions, which is also a better

film overall.In spite of all my misgivings

about the film, I loved the way Russell treated his characters–their relentless attempts at retribution, the fact that they don’t filter their thoughts, and they are completely out there with their emotions. There’s an initial scene in the film that brings that out beautifully: when Lawrence and Cooper’s characters meet for the first time, their friends try to play down their faults, but the two are absolutely honest with each other. At one point, Lawrence says, “We are not liars like they are”. For me, that was the high point of the film. The rest of it, sadly, didn’t match up to it. As told to AG

For a Russell fan, this is underwhelming

Shakun Batra

Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook



Dave Calhoun gets Kathryn Bigelow to defend herself against allegations of glorifying torture.

Zero Dark ThirtyHow do you feel when people make presumptions about your politics from watching Zero Dark Thirty? There was a similar thing with The Hurt Locker, people wanting to know my feelings about the Iraq War. And I was mystified, because there’s no conceivable way you could watch that movie and think: I want to go and stand in a rubble-strewn street and pull wires out of an extremely explosive device.

So what do you say to people who claim the film is “pro-torture”? I find it interesting that you could see Zero Dark Thirty and in any way come to the conclusion that it is pro-harsh tactics. It’s absolutely inconceivable. My feeling going in was: if we don’t examine some of the more regrettable acts that transpired in the name of finding Osama bin Laden, we’re going to repeat them.

Our window into this story is a CIA operative, Maya (Jessica Chastain), who is based on a real person. Why did you choose her perspective? Well, there were these characters who emerged as Mark [Boal, writer] was reporting it. So we shaped the story around the research and attempted to make it as faithful a rendering of that story as we could, knowing, however, that it’s ten years compressed into two-and-a-half hours. So it’s accurate in the way a movie can be accurate. It’s not a documentary, and I stress that.

Was it important that the film should avoid looking triumphant at the end? That it shouldn’t present the death of bin Laden as rousing? That was beautifully captured on page. Yes, the operation to find him was successful, but the film posits a question: what now? Where do we go from here? Where do we want to go as a country? I think it’s an opportunity for reflection.

I have a very simple approach to watching films: I must enjoy them. Barring The Weight of Water and K19, I have enjoyed every Kathryn Bigelow film to date. Near Dark, Blue Steel and Point Break are some of my favourite Bigelow films, and Zero Dark Thirty (ZDT) is a great addition to that list.

In ZDT, Bigelow takes her time to set up the premise, introducing us to the atrocities of terrorism from the outset, and letting the story flow from there. Somewhere, though, I don’t see this film as a classic good-triumphs-over-evil story. For me, ZDT is about hope and determination. It’s a story about a normal

employee Maya, played by Jessica Chastain, who happens to be a CIA employee.

Bigelow should get credit for not turning Chastain into a superwoman as she embarks on her quest to find a man who’s been most elusive. As in any field of work, she has to fight red-

tapism even as she battles an inner

conflict: what she believes against what the facts are. Chastain’s character could have been set against

any backdrop, but Bigelow finds

a way to use it to her advantage while telling this specific story.

Chastain is remarkably consistent, never losing focus as an actor. Just like Maya, all other characters have been developed with much care, especially that of Jennifer Ehle, who plays Maya’s colleague. Seasoned actors like Mark Strong and Kyle Chandler add to the ensemble. The film’s sound design and cinematography deserve special mention.

Bigelow and writer Mark Boal pen a taut script – one that’s thread out of everyday happenings. It’s Bigelow’s mastery over storytelling that turns you – the audience – into Maya, constantly making you identify with her character, hoping for everything she does. Maya’s final realisation is as much a revelation to her as it is to you as an audience. It’s as emotional too.

A story about hope and determination

Sujoy Ghosh

Inset: Kathryn Bigelow; Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty



AmourAustrian director Michael Haneke’s Amour trains an unflinching eye on old age and an inexorable struggle with illness. The story centres on Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emanuelle Riva), a Parisian couple in their eighties. A stroke leaves Anne partially paralysed. Georges feeds her, washes her hair, reads to her and tries to help Anne cope as much as possible with an illness that’s steadily getting worse. Haneke, who has also written the film, keeps the story free of the sentimentality that it could have so easily slid into. The larger tragedy constantly looms over Georges and Anne but viewers see how dealing with day-to-day living, ordinarily taken for granted, can sometimes prove the hardest ground to navigate.

A Royal AffairSet in 18th-century Denmark, A Royal Affair recounts the unhap py marriage of the mentally ill King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) and his queen, Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander). Caroline moves to Denmark from England after an arranged marriage with King Christian. She quickly realises she’s on her own, with a volatile husband who spares no opportunity to humiliate her. She distances herself from the

monarch after producing an heir. Christian then sets out on a tour of Europe, where he meets Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), a German doctor who he appoints as his personal physician. Through his friendship with the troubled king, Struensee introduces several reforms that help a country teeming with disease and held in the vice-grip of nobles. Caroline and Struensee soon fall in love and embark on a clandestine affair, setting the stage for inevitable disaster. The beautifully rendered historical drama brims with well-etched characters, and is an enormously engaging watch. Hat tip to Følsgaard’s portrayal of the distressed, unfathomable King Christian.

Kon-TikiThe Norwegian film is a dramatised account of ethnographer Thor Heyerdahl’s (Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen) real-life voyage across the Pacific Ocean in 1947. Heyerdahl sets out to prove his theory that the Polynesian islands were settled by South Americans 1,500 years ago, and not Asians, as was widely believed. The expedition is soon underway, with a motley gang of enthusiasts on a rudimentary balsa raft. Heyerdahl surrenders navigation to ocean currents for the entire 4,300-mile-journey, from Peru to Polynesia. The isolation from the rest of the world soon starts closing in on the crew, and discord begins to settle in. The film maintains a brisk pace for the most part, and quieter moments of introspection intersperse with the action. Beautifully shot and portrayed with great energy by the cast, Kon-Tiki is a lush recreation of a landmark expedition.

NoBased on Antonio Skármeta’s

play El Plebiscito, the film follows Rene (Gael Garcia Bernal), an advertising professional in Chile during the late 1980s. He creates promotional material with his team, aimed at encouraging the public to vote against General Augusto Pinochet, and prevent him running the nation for a further eight years. In the meantime, his boss is working on the “yes” campaign. No is a snapshot of a turbulent time in Chilean history, when the 1988 plebiscite was to determine if Pinochet would extend his rule. The U-matic videotape format used to shoot the film lends it an authentic texture, as do the snatches of news-footage from the time. Against the backdrop of political frenzy, No presents a vivid take on how advertising came to sink its teeth in electoral campaigns.

War WitchSet in an unnamed African country, War Witch centres on Komona (Rachel Mwanza), a young girl whose village has been massacred by gun-toting rebels. She is forced to shoot her own parents and join the gang. The film plunges headlong into Komona’s tumultuous journey as a child soldier, and her subsequent escape from the group with a rebel called Magicien (Serge Kanyinda). The others are determined to hunt her down, as their leader, The Great Tiger, believes she has magical powers. Freq uently disturbing, War Witch takes a hard look at a country dogged by violence and poverty. The powerful narrative is peppered with rare light moments, set to the soundtrack of African folk and pop music.

Mithila Phadke navigates her way through world cinema offerings at the Oscars this year.

Best Foreign Language Film

Fighters Rachel Mwanza in War Witch; Gael Garcia Bernal in No


Pirates: A Band of Misfits From the director of Wallace & Gromit comes yet another heartwarm-ing and wonderfully animated 3D stop-motion tale. A clever script juxtaposed against a simple premise, Pirates makes light, and how, of hardships that come with piracy. Oddball characters aplenty and jokes at every turn render Pirates a fun watch for all ages. Luxuriously bearded Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) must win Scientist of the Year in order to, very ironically, earn credibility for the Pirate of the Year competition. The ticket to win is the last living dodo, the Captain’s pet Polly discovered by the scrawny but devious Charles Darwin (David Tennant). Pirate-hating Queen’s (Imelda Staunton) attempts to get her hands on, or rather fork and knife into, Polly and the sell-out Captain’s return to grace, however delayed, form the crux of this film.

ParaNormanIt’s a bit silly, a witch-cursed town and only one kid with the power to undo it all. But directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell treat silly hor-ror with good humour and give us the incredibly entertaining ParaNorman. Its engaging storyline and trippy-hued animation (towards the end) will lasso in the audience, hook, line and sinker. Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a 11-year- old outcast can see ghosts but no one will believe him. When the dead come to life, the task of quell-ing the witch’s anger is assigned to Norman by his crack-pot uncle Mr Prenderghast who performed the duty before his hilarious demise.

Norman; his cheerleader sister Courtney (Anna Kendrick); Norman’s only friend, the chubby and cracked-in-the-head Neil (Tucker Albrizzi); and Neil’s spacey, beefed up brother, Mitch (Casey Affleck) must save the town.

FrankenweenieAnyone who has ever loved a pet will be taken over with bittersweet nostalgia after watching Frankenweenie and it’s certainly my pick for that Oscar statue. Director Tim Burton weaves magic with his grotesque and morose characters in this black and white 3D stop motion animated flick. A simple story comes alive because of the relationship between a boy and his friend. The intelligent Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) brings his pet dog Sparky back to life with the help of science after getting inspired by his teacher Mr Rzykruski (Martin Landau). His classmates, the Igor-like Edgar (Atticus Shaffer), Nassor (Martin Short) who’s like the original Frankenstein’s monster, Toshiaki (James Hiroyuki Liao), chubby Bob (Robert Capron) and Weird Girl (Catherine O'Hara) seek to outdo Sparky’s resurrection and in turn unleash freaky monsters on the town.

BraveIn the Scottish highlands, King Fergus’ (Billy Connolly) daughter Merida (Kelly MacDonald), a skilled archer, yearns to escape from her

obligation to marry. In a bid to change her disapproving mother, Merida turns Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson) into a bear and then her triplet brothers follow suit, becoming the cutest animated bear cubs ever, by an act of greed after eating the spell-laced cake. It’s up to Merida to reverse the spell and uphold her family’s honour. Amazing animation it may pack – especially Merida’s fiery crown of curls – but Brave’s plot, banal at times, fails to capture attention for long. The unusual love story – one between mother and daughter – forced humour and even the characters don’t do justice to Pixar’s legacy. It’s a wonder Brave finds a place on this list, frankly.

Wreck-it RalphWith the 30th anniversary of his

game approaching, Wreck-it Ralph (John C Reilly) is tired of being the ostracised bad guy in the video game Fix-It Felix, Jr. He’s left out of their legendary parties, where even an animated Skrillex makes a fleeting appearance. In order to be accepted, Ralph must earn a medal, he is told, like the game’s protagonist Felix (Jack McBrayer). Ralph’s adventures range from joining the first-person-shooter Hero's Duty to the kart-racing Sugar Rush where he finds an unwilling ally in Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman). A stunning visual treat that inclu des seamless shifts from retro and current video game mode to animation, a script that’s a ringer and deep characters with real emotions speed up Wreckit Ralph to the Oscar forefront.

Deborah Cornelious had a rather enjoyable time watching the five nominees for Best Animated Film.

Best Animation Film

Toonrise kingdom (from top) Pirates: A Band of Misfits, Frankenweenie, Wreck-it Ralph




Best ActorWho’s been nominated? Four people who aren’t going to win – and Daniel Day-Lewis. Joaquin Phoenix might have had a shot with his astonishing performance in The Master, but then he went and called awards “bullshit” and blew himself out of the water. Denzel Washington is still lurking in the background waving his arms, but Flight simply isn’t a strong enough movie (it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture) to make a win likely.

Of the other two contenders, neither Bradley Cooper nor Hugh Jackman have paid their dues in “serious” roles yet, though if they continue like this, expect a win for either or both sometime in the next decade.

Who’s going to win? Day-Lewis could pick his nose in front of a camera and get nominated. As it is, his turn as America’s superhero president is one for the ages. Day-Lewis’s Lincoln has everything: a funny voice, an awkward gait, a difficult family, an acid wit and a righteous cause, so if he doesn’t win it’ll be the biggest Oscar upset since Chris Rock said all those nasty things about Jude Law.

Who was overlooked? Given the surprise success of Amour in the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress catego-

ries, it wouldn’t have been much of a stretch to imagine Jean-Louis Trintignant being in with a shout for his remarkable, sympathetic turn. As it is, he lost out to Cooper’s cheekbones and Jackman’s belt-ing voice. We’d also have loved to see Bill Murray up there for Hyde Park on Hudson, but perhaps he’s simply too much of an irascible out-sider to win over Academy hearts.

Best ActressWho’s been nominated? Some Oscars-watchers are calling Best Actress the weakest category in 2013. And it’s true, there isn’t one standout frontrunner (like Meryl Streep in 2012 or Natalie Portman in 2011). Instead, what we have is the chance for this year’s Best Actress to make Oscar history.

Emmanuelle Riva turns 86 on the day of the ceremony, February 24. If she wins, for Amour, she’ll be the oldest ever winner. If the exceedingly cute (and super talented) nine-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis scoops the prize for Beasts of the Southern Wild, she’ll be the youngest. Both have maximum potential for a tear-jerking accept-ance speech.

The other nominees are Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty).

Who’s going to win? Jennifer Lawrence’s soulful, screw-ball funny performance as a sex addict in Silver Linings Playbook makes her the bookies’ favourite. But you can’t help wondering if the Academy might like to indulge in a

spot of history-making. In that case we’d tip Quvenzhané Wallis over Emmanuelle Riva. The Oscars love an underdog. And while Beasts of the Southern Wild might prove too leftfield for Best Picture, voters might see fit to reward the nine-year-old.

We also know that the Academy like their Best Actresses to suffer for their art. So don’t rule out Naomi Watts, who plays a mum caught up in the 2004 tsunami in The Impossible.

Who was overlooked? Past-winner Marion Cotillard, who featured on most prediction lists for her outstanding performance as a whale trainer who loses her legs in Rust and Bone. And this isn’t a great year for the Brits. Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina) and three British dames, Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), Judi Dench (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and Maggie Smith (Quartet) have all been snubbed.

Time Out breaks down the four categories that everyone has an opinion on.

The Acting Oscars

The Best Supporting Actor cate-gory this year is an entertaining mix of crusty old codgers (Alan

Arkin, Argo), borderline crazies (Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook), megalomaniacs (Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master) and wily schemers (Tom-my Lee Jones, Lincoln; Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained). Until a while back, Hoffman seemed to be the odds-on favourite – but then Waltz went and pocketed the Golden Globe. Expect a close three-way race between them and Jones, with Hoffman winning by a leg.

Best Supporting Actress should by rights go to Helen

Hunt, who gives a brave, funny, splendidly bare performance in The Sessions. Academy vot-ers, however, are more likely to reward Anne Hathaway for her scary haircut and cracking rendi-tion of “I dreamed a dream” in Les Misérables. Jacki Weaver was memorable as the only sane person among so many assorted nuts in Silver Linings Playbook, but she has an outside chance at best. Rounding out the field are Amy Adams (The Master) and two-time Oscar winner Sally Field (Lincoln). Uday Bhatia

Vote for support

Auto pilot Denzel Washington in Flight

Cult fiction Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master


Lifestyle

Travel bags that help you move onExcess baggageCases from Nappa Dori. Photograph by Aditi Tailang.

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Reminded of mummy’s honeymoon trip to Kashmir every time you spot monotone luggage with functionality but no personality? Skybags’ multi-coloured graffiti suitcases, inspired by New York’s vibrant cityscape, will ensure you’re as clear as the writing on the wall. 19,685 for a set of three pieces. Skybags available at VIP Exclusive, Shop No 5, Umergaon Building, BA Road, Parel (2415-5695). Visit www.vipbags.com for a complete list of stores.

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ONDon’t let your baggage get lost in the crowd of look-alike luggage. Here’s our round-up of eye-catching cases. Styling by Akshita Nahar. Photography by Aditi Tailang.

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For the regular traveller, vintage-style luggage may not be a practical option. But there’s no denying the nostalgic charm of these Nappa Dori pieces, which harken back to the era of steamship travel. And when you’re not on the road or the high seas, this luggage makes great home decor. 10,500 each. Nappa Dori available at Le Mill, 2 Meherabad Apartments, Near St. Stephen's Church, Warden Road (98204-44042).

If you’re a globetrotter who’s more concerned with durability than the niceties, then this padded wheelie from American Tourister is for you. Don’t let the cherry red fool you into believing it’s just a beauty with no brains – this expandable case with multiple pockets, fixed combination locks and agile wheels is a real all-rounder. 7,650. American Tourister, Atria Mall, Annie Besant Road, Worli (2481-3404). Visit www.americantouristerindia.com for a complete list of stores.

Whether you’re getting on and off airplanes, catching trains or hopping in and out of cabs, Da Milano’s resilient duffel will stick by your side. Large enough to dump all your essentials and compact enough to carry, this leather wonder is your best bet for a quick weekend getaway. 12,999.Da Milano, Palladium Mall, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4004-1395). Visit www.damilano.com for a complete list of stores.

There’s little more depressing than returning to a cold city after a sunny holiday. But this shiny, hard-wearing suitcase from Tommy Hilfiger will probably brighten your journey. If this bright yellow number doesn’t cheer you up, book yourself a one-way flight back. 9,600.Tommy Hilfiger, Ground Floor, Mohammedbhai Mansion, Kemps Corner, NSP Marg (6627-2100). Visit www.tommyindia.com for a complete list of stores.


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surf’s up

The furniture on HomeHero is built from scratch and makes use of wood and cast iron reclaimed from demolished houses, broken-down ships and landfills. The way they put it, this is a “practice that doesn’t just help the environment, it produces wonderful designs with unexpected colour and organic textures”. We could easily find a corner for the coffee-table made of repurposed railway sleepers and the chest of drawers made

from recycled army bullet boxes. Also look out for the armchair made from the jute sacks used to transport tea bags and a bistro set with stools made from old tins of wax polish. This online furniture store promises to be your own personal carpenter too: the folks at HomeHero make personalised pieces from their existing collection, and also craft custom-order furniture.Shop online at homehero.in. From 5,000.

HomeHero

Rose blushQuess, a South African brand makes soaps, lotions and hand sanitisers infused with rose, mag-nolia and lavender. Their new collection is available at Westside, which now also houses a range of imported pampering essentials made with bamboo extracts, aloe vera, olive and rooibos, a South African tea. From `200.Qess available at Westside, Infiniti, Raheja Classic Com-plex, New Link Road, Shastri Nagar D Phase, Andheri (W)(6702-1345; www.mywestside.com).

Tied upSanjay Garg’s collection of Raw Mango saris are now on display at Good Earth. The latest line of handwoven mashru and Chanderi saris, stoles and dupattas reflect the skills of more than 150 craftspeople. With this collection, Garg has aimed to revive the mashru tradition, a colourful silk weave that was brought to India by Turkish traders in the sixteenth century, and favoured by royalty in Rajasthan. (Existing mashru heirlooms are now confined to museum spaces such as the V&A in London.) Raw Mango's mashru saris have been woven alongside a soft cotton body, making them easier to drape. From 8,000. Good Earth, Raguvanshi Mansion, Raguvanshi Mills

Sales & eventsCheck outA well-stocked and elegant kitchen is often essential to inspired cooking. Get all your kitchen and dining ware under one roof at “A Not So Casual Kitchen”, a curated

exhibition that brings together a variety of designer wares in different mediums, all informed by the theme of an artsy kitchen. The collection includes kitchen-ware from Anataya Decor, Home Collective, Art-n-light, Le Creuset and Adarsh Gill’s table-ware. Anemos, Krishna House, ground floor, Raghuvanshi Estate, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (2493-4306). Fri Feb 22 - Sun Feb 24, 11am-7pm. From 350.

Artsy kitchen exhibitionCompound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (2495-3850; www.goodearth.in).

Oil spillThe luxury bath- and body-care label, Kama Ayur veda has introduced a range of mas-sage oils that should ideally be used before stepping into the shower, steam bath or sauna. The line includes Darbari for calmness and meditation, with essential oils of lavender, clary sage and spearmint; Yaman, to

relax tired muscles with geranium, lemon grass and rosemary; and Hansdhvani, a re-energising blend of ylang ylang, lemon and basil. From 425 to 715.

The Bombay Store, Sir PM Road, Fort (2288-5048). Visit www.

kamaayurveda.com for a complete list

of stores.

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Admission for readings and other events is free unless otherwise stated. G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop. FREE denotes no admission fee.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Mithila Phadke. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, near-est train station and bus stop, tele-phone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publica-tion, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guar-anteed due to limited space.

How to use this section

Fri Feb 15Three-step rhythmic breathing Yoga teacher Deepak Dhingra on the benefits of the Patanjali yoga technique.

Health Education Library for People, Kitab Mahal, DN Road, Fort (6595-2393). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Khadi Bhandar. 3.30pm.

Sat Feb 16FREE Nike run club The Nike run club is hosted by marathon runner Daniel Vaz and Central Railway athletics team coach Melwyn Crasto. The group meets every Saturday in Kandivali for a two-hour workout and strength-training, followed by a long run. After you register, you will be given a bib (yes, a bib) to wear on every run and you’re good to go.

Sports Authority of India, Akurli Road, Kandivali (E). G Kandivali (WR). v Samata Nagar. 6am. To register, call Daniel Vaz on 98200-69751.

Sat Feb 23FREE Nike run club See Sat Feb 16.

Tue Feb 26Mudra therapy RC Shah demystifies the concept of Mudra therapy.

Health Education Library for People. See Yoga talk on Fri Feb 15 for address. 4.30pm.

Wed Feb 27Dealing with asthma Neeru Mishra on how yogic asanas help one cope with asthma.

Health Education Library for People. See Yoga talk on Fri Feb 15 for address. 4.30pm.

OffersFour Fountains Visitors from colder cities might sneer at Mumbai’s barely there winter but we know it’s bad enough to warrant a little extra TLC. The red-thyme aromatherapy massage at Four Fountains claims to help boost blood circulation and soothe chapped skin.

First Floor, Cypress, next to Reliance World, Hiranandani Gardens, Powai (6514-4044). Also at Bandra (6453-6677) and Malad (6529-4449). Daily 9am-8.30pm. 2,199.

ClassesAqualates Deepali Jain’s classes are underwater adventures. Choose from Pilates, aqua tai chi and aqua kick-boxing.

Body Rhythm, Advent, 12-A, General Jagannath Bhosale Marg, Mantralaya. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Mantralaya. To register, call on 98200-94323. Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am. 3,500 for 10 sessions.

Capoeira Enslaved Africans in Brazil are said to have invented this martial art during the sixteenth century. To avoid being caught out, they infused it with music and dance. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that a kick from a capoeirist wouldn’t hurt.

Reza Massah teaches at SS Sahani School, 18th Road, Khar (W). G Khar Road (WR, CR Harbour). v18th Road. Tue, Thur, 7pm. Also at Nipra House, Ropa Lane,

months. Mehul Vora conducts classes at MP Shah School, Sarojini Road, Vile Parle (W). G Vile Parle (WR, CR Harbour). v Vile Parle station. Tue, Thur, 6.30pm. Basic, intermediate and advanced courses cost 6,000 each, for six months.

Les Mills Bandra’s F2 Fitness offers the Les Mills exercise regimen. Designed in New Zealand, it involves a series of fitness routines. These include BodyBalance which blends tai chi, yoga and Pilates, the martial arts-inspired BodyCombat, BodyJam that has a dance and cardio workout, and BodyPump and BodyAttack for strength and high energy training respectively.

F2 Fitness, 106, Silver Pearl, Waterfield Road, Bandra (W) (92234-34343). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). v National College. Batches every hour from 7am-1pm, 5.30-10.30pm. 3,500 for 20 sessions.

Muay Thai Muay Thai is the art of eight limbs because it makes use of eight points of contact with punches, kicks, knee and elbow strikes. Think Ong Bak.

Amit Lalwani teaches at Saifee Hospital, Charni Road. G Charni Road (WR). v Charni Road station. Tue, Fri, 6.30pm, 7.30pm, 8.30pm. Sun 9.30am, 10.30am, 11.30am. `1,910 for 8 sessions. Also at Elco Arcade, Hill Road, Bandra (W). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). v Hill Road. Mon, Wed, 6.30pm. `1,400 per month. To register, call 98690-36872.

Spinning Spinning promises to help you battle with adipose, provided you are willing to sweat it out on a bike.

Leena Mogre’s Specialised Fitness Gym, Bandra (W) (2648-1795). Mon, Wed, Fri, 8pm. 3,500 for a month. Also at JG’s Fitness Centre, Gopal Bhuvan, Fourth Floor, Tagore Road, Santa Cruz (W) (2649-6277). Mon, Wed, Fri, 5pm. Tue, Thur, Sat, 6pm, 8pm. 4,000 for all six batches. 2,500 for three batches. 500 per session.

Chandanwadi, New Marine Lines. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Chandanwadi. Tue, Thur, 8pm. Mon, Wed 6pm. 2,500 per month. To register, call 98690-55371. Parikshit Sadh teaches at Ravindra Natya Mandir, Sayani Road, Prabhadevi (W). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Siddhivinayak Temple. Mon, Fri, 7pm, 8pm. 2,500 per month. To register, call 98202-92345. Salonee Gadgil teaches at KD’s Kinder Bay Nursery and Playschool, Seven Bungalows, Andheri (W). G Andheri (WR, CR Harbour). v Seven Bungalows Bus Depot. Mon, Wed, Fri, 9am. Tue, Thur, 7pm. To register, call 98205-66649. Fees start at 1,500 per month.

Krav Maga The fundamental principle of Krav Maga, the Israeli martial art, is simple: do what you have to do to protect yourself and to cause your attacker the maximum pain possible. For instance, learn how to break the hold of an attacker who’s sitting on your stomach and trying to strangle you. This is the kind of class that will help you stay super-safe, and super-fit.

AM’s Studio, Prasad Co-operative Housing Society’s basement, Naupada, Thane (W). G Thane (CR Main). v Marathon Chowk. Tue, Thur, 6.30pm. Sun 9.30am. Call 98338-79677 to register. 4,000 for 3

Fitness & WellnessEvents & Talks

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Upper crustPizzas battle it out for the top spotPizza Metro Pizza’s metre-long pie. Photograph by Parikshit Rao.

Food & DrinkFood & Drink

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Year of the pieJharna Thakker flattens out Mumbai’s best pizza parlours. Photography by Parikshit Rao.

Pizza by the BayRe-opened in May 2012[[ [[[Lineage This white-and-black art deco space (originally The Pizzeria and Not Just Jazz by the Bay: for 17 years) makes for the smallest segment of the larger Mars Group which is helmed by Sanjay Narang.Pies we’ve tried Pizza Pot Pie (Great Balls of Fire) and Pizza Mista.They recommend Don Corleone — we’re told this one is Narang’s favourite.Time Out recommends Quad Pizza – pick and choose four different pizzas (nothing we tried made us scream, “I need to come back to eat this!”) from their long line-up, order some beer and alternate between sipping, biting and taking in the sights and sounds of Mumbai passing by. The breeze alone, we think, make up for the nostalgia this place easily invokes, of chequered tablecloths and college crowds.

Di NapoliOpened in October 2012[[[[[Lineage Home-grown under the watchful guidance of Jai Thakur, a banker-turned-baker, who launched his south Mumbai pizza parlour with a Verace Pizza Napoletana Certificate, which means that he’s qualified to serve “Real Neapolitan Pizza.” Enough said.Pies we’ve tried Pizza alla Nutella, Greca and Margherita Prosciutto.They recommend Salame Piccante — topped with fiery chorizo, onions and aragula. The spicy Spanish sausage on this pie is responsible for creating a cacophony of piquant flavours in your mouth.Time Out recommends Divola — the original star-crossed love story that spans from Italy (read pizza) to America (read pepperoni).

Numbers never lie. And so whatever its origins may be, pizza is currently the most globalised (and industrialised) creation on the planet. Mumbai too isn’t immune to this crusty craze’s crunchy charms. Over the last eight months alone, we’ve noticed that pizza parlours are mushrooming across the city faster than Salman Khan movies. So suddenly, we have more serious “local” contenders than ever before to bicker and battle over — from no-cheese and pizza pot pies to Madras chicken curry and pizza alla Nutella.

Pizza Metro PizzaOpened in November 2012[[[[[Lineage Great service always equates to half the battle won. And the fine folks behind Good Karma (the group responsible for bringing down the International Neopolitan Pizzeria chain from the United Kingdom) know and deploy just this modus operandi. Pies we’ve tried Diavola, Cicciobomba and Prosciuttio e Funghi.They recommend Club 9 — is PMP’s ode to the erstwhile dance destination that long resided in this spot. The pizza comes topped with okra, green chilli, goat cheese, mozzarella and basil; rendering it the most perfect, grimy tribute bite.Time Out recommends Napoli — this authentic soft-but-crunchy Naples pie comes in non-vegetarian and veggie avatars. We’ve got to admit, it’s been a very long time since we’ve been stumped into a moment of food silence. Word.

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PizzaExpressOpened in December 2012[[[[[Lineage This humbly adorned pizza place can retrace its history back to 1965 London, which is when its foodie-founder Peter Boizot opened his first high-street eatery.Pies we’ve tried American Hot, Quattro Formaggi and Four Season. Time Out recommends Calabrese — inspired by one of Italy’s most picture-perfect regions (Calabria), this Mediterranean-mood pizza looks as good as it tastes… All big and bright colours meet bold flavours. We adored the harmonious magic created by the melting fat from the two distinctly different sausages, besides the peppers, fresh and dry herbs, spices and finally, three different kinds of cheese.

Francesco’s PizzeriaOpened in May 2012[[[[[Lineage This three-table establishment is largely a stand-alone “gourmet pizza” delivery service.Pies we’ve tried Breakfast Pizza, Peri-Peri Paneer and Salmon Bianca.They recommend Margo – for all you cheese haters, these guys do a “wellness pizza” made with a multigrain crust, topped with zucchini, carrots, broccoli, edamame, fava beans and cherry tomatoes.Time Out recommends Eggplant Parmigiano — this hearty, vegetarian pizza is best described as a deconstructed version of its Italian (baked dish) namesake.

Di Napoli’s Margherita pizza

Pizza Metro Pizza’s vegetarian Napoli

Di Napoli’s Pizza alla Nutella



California Pizza KitchenOpened in August 2010[[[[[Lineage The guys behind Hard Rock Café, Shiro, Trader Vic’s and Mai Tai — JSM Corporation’s Jay Singh and Sanjay Mahtani — are responsible for the India-entry of CPK. Pies we’ve tried Toastada Pizza, Seekh Kebab Pizza and Meat Cravers.They recommend Chicken Fajita Pizza — a crazy concoction that exudes its Californian cuisine roots. It comes packing pesto, chicken, peppers, green onions, sour cream and of course, guacamole. Time Out recommends BBQ Chicken — we may not be fans of CPK’s pizza base or puree but it’s difficult to grudge these pie-makers their succulently marinated barbecue chicken topping. The smoked bacon bits garnish the pie with a Tex-Mex flourish.

Ray’s Café & PizzeriaOpened in March 2012[ [[[Lineage Hill Road’s Ray’s has an impeccable pedigree. The owners (Hemant and Rashmi Mehta) started out by running Pizzeria Uno (now Pizza by the Bay), the fabled seaside restaurant on Marine Drive, where many office-goers have succumbed to the temptation of calling in sick for the afternoon to spend hours drinking beer and watching the sun glinting on the Arabian Sea.Pizza pies we’ve tried Margherita, Jamaican Jerk Chicken and Hawaiian Mau Lou.They recommend Try their pizza by the slice (starts at 100).Time Out recommends These guys are accountable for inventing the iconic Bombay Masala, only here it’s referred to as Mumbai Masala. A simple plain cheese pizza finished with a sprinkling of their secret “Bombaiyya” herbs and spices.

SerafinaOpened in October 2012[[[ [Lineage Hot on the heels of their global expansion plans, New York-based Italian restaurateurs Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato, along with Chatwals and Global Kitchens are responsible for the India launch of this iconic Italian eatery. Star diners et al.Pizza pies we’ve tried 4 Stagioni and Al Porcini.They recommend Tartufo Nero — this pizza best exemplifies the star-power branding of this international pie house. Truffle cheese, truffle oil and sliced black truffle; need we say more on the subject of refined albeit OTT decadence?Time Out recommends Bianco — a Serafina legend, whether in Tokyo, NYC, Russia or Sao Paulo. This sandwich-esque pie is the stuff fluffy white dreams are made of. Baby arugula, shaved Parmesan, fontina, fresh mozzarella with bacon bits added on, is just about enough to reduce the most discerning gourmand into a clapping, gleeful child.

Jack’s PizzaOpened in January 2013[ [[[Lineage This Mumbai-based home delivery service was recently launched by self-proclaimed pizza-lover, Jackie Thadani.Pies we’ve tried Four Cheese, Balsamic Chicken and Lamb Bolognese.They recommend Fiamma — made famous in Mumbai by the Vivanta by Taj’s Trattoria, this pizza is best reheated as “Jack” suggests, on a tawa. Perfect add-ons include jalapenos and olives. Time Out recommends Stuffed Chocolate Calzone — a stuffed, crescent-like pie baked fresh with at least three different kinds of chocolate, M&Ms and marshmallows.

Pizza PaletteOpened in January 2013[[[[[Lineage This Shetty-run pie house launched in early January sans the regular media circus, possibly because their product is a cheaper reproduction of Mumbai’s iconic pizza parlours. Slice for slice. Pizza pies we’ve tried Chicken Hawaiian. They recommend Italian Lovers — this loaded pizza is a cheaper, less meaty knockoff version of its like-named cousins over at Smokin’ Joes and Garcia’s. Time Out recommends Pizza Palette Special — this veggie delight comes topped with corn, mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapenos, olives and extra cheese. At 140 for a six-incher, this pie is VFM.


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Great pie in the skyCalifornia Pizza Kitchen Infiniti Mall, Malad Link Road, Malad (W)(6636-6636). Daily noon-1am. All major cards. Also at Lower Parel and Bandra (E). Meal for two from `1,200 onwards.

Di Napoli Dalamal Towers, Free Press Journal Marg, Nariman Point (4347-3200). Daily 11am-11pm. All major cards. Meal for two from 1,500 onwards.

Francesco’s Pizzeria 5, Chinoy Mansion Compound, Entry From

Chocolate Affair, Kemp’s Corner (6752-7000). Daily 11am-11pm. Cash only. Meal for two from 800 onwards.

Jack’s Pizza Ground Floor, Victoria Building, Balaram Street, Grant Road (2308-8444). Daily 11am-11pm. Cash only. Meal for two from 800.

Pizza by the Bay 143, Soona Mahal, Marine Drive(2284-3949). Daily 7am-1am.All major cards. Meal for two from 1,500.

PizzaExpress Dhanraj Mahal, Apollo Bunder, Colaba (6656-2633). Daily 11.30am-11pm. All major cards. Meal for two from `2,000.

Pizza Metro Pizza Shop No 2, Jharna Apartments, Club IX, Pali Hill, Khar (6599-3333). Daily noon-3pm; 6pm-11.30pm. All major cards. Meal for two from `2,000.

Pizza Palette Shop No.44/A, Janam Building, Opposite State

Bank of India, Forjett Street (6523-1002). Daily 11am to 11pm. Cash only. Meal for two from 600.

Ray’s Café & Pizzeria 133, Gazebo House, Hill Road, Bandra (W) (2645-1414). Daily noon-11.30pm. All major cards. Meal for two from 1,000.

Serafina Third Floor, Palladium, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4023-7711). Daily noon-midnight. All major cards. Meal for two from `2,500.

PizzaExpress’ Calabrese pizza

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The Cicciobomba at Pizza Metro Pizza



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The internationally acclaimed Taste festival (Time magazine named the London edition one of the world’s greatest food festivals)is making its way to Mumbai this fortnight. The festival gives Mumbaikars the opportunity to sample cuisine from participating restaurants, wander around the exhibitor area and linger over drinks.

The Taste festival is coming to townThe Taste festival which was started in London in 2004 now takes place in 15 cities around the world. The Mumbai edition is being jointly organised by food consultants Karen Anand, Babso Kanwar and Rachna Sharma, and will take place at Marine Drive. The Mumbai festival is similar to the London one in terms of format, but is being organised on a smaller scale. Taste’s Mumbai edition will feature 12 restaurants showcasing their best dishes alongside the Taste Theatre, an exhibition zone, bars and a VIP lounge, all of which will run from Fri Feb 22 to Sun Feb 24.

There is a lot of food on offer The 2012 Taste of London festival had 40 restaurants in their line-up including Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Spice Market and the Michelin-starred Benares. Closer home, the inaugural food festival has 12 participating restaurants. Mumbai is represented by luxury hotels like Arola at the JW Marriott, China House at the Grand Hyatt, Koh from InterContinental Marine

Drive and Prego at the Westin Mumbai Garden City. The stand-alone fine dining resturants taking part are Ellipses, Impressario Handmade (the company behind Smoke House Deli and Salt Water Grill), Kofuku and Olive. From Bengaluru, there’s Caperberry and Fire from The Park Hotel, New Delhi round-up the national presence. Graffiti from New York and Cinnamon Club, London constitute the international delegation at the fest. The festival encourages samplingEach restaurant will showcase up to four tapas size dishes of their choice, including at least one vegetarian offering. Participating restaurants will serve one signature dish priced at 500 onwards. Other dishes priced in the 150-300 range make up the rest of the menu. Some of the dishes being served include porcini carpaccio at Arola, pork belly served with home-made kimchi, roja sauce and a steamed bun at Ellipses and an assortment of spherified flavours from Caperberry. Spherification is a process by which liquids (usually sauces and dressings) are shaped into spheres. The spheres have a fluid filling held together by a thin gel membrane. The process was first introduced into cooking by the legendary Ferran Adrià and his team at the now defunct Michelin-starred restaurant El Bulli in Spain. At Taste, Abhijit Saha - the chef at Caperberry – will be creating spheres of tamarind and spice, mozzarella and balsamic reduction and feta with mango.

A Taste Theatre lets you learn from the chefsThe 100-seat Taste Theatre will host classes through the day given by chefs from India and abroad. Alain Fabrègues, of Perth’s The Loose Box will be talking about French classical cuisine and how he’s adapted it to the Australian palate. Margot Janse of South Africa’s Relais and Châteaux Le Quartier Français Hotel, will be demonstrating African-inspired fine dining. Other chefs include Bill Marchetti of Spaghetti Kitchen, Le 15’s Pooja Dhingra, Olive’s Manu Chandra and Stone Water Grill’s Shailendra Kekade among others. The entire schedule is up online on www.tasteofmumbai.in, and no chef is speaking twice, so choose wisely before booking your tickets.

There’s more than just food on offer.In addition to the presenting restaurants, the festival will have three bars serving beer, wine and cocktails. For those looking to browse, the exhibitors’ space will be divided into a farmers’ market and separate pavilions for alcohol and desserts respectively. You can expect to see offerings from The Pint Room and Reveilo wines for alcohol. Over at the dessert area, sample sweet eats from Bandra’s Piccoli Tortini, Fantasie chocolates and Country of Origin. The farmers’ market will include Trikaya agriculture, Under the Mango Tree honey, New Delh’s Flanders cheese and Pondicherry’s Mango Hill cheese. Visitors can also shop for high-end kitchen appliances from KitchenAid and Fisher and Paykel. Aatish Nath

Taste of Mumbai Wilson College Gymkhana, Marine Drive. Fri Feb 22, 6-10pm. Sat and Sun Feb 23 and 24, noon-4pm, 6-10pm. Alcohol served. Tickets from 600 for access to the festival. A 1,000 ticket gives you access to the festival as well as 500 in taste currency. The 2,000 ticket allows festival access plus 1,000 in taste currency and entry to the VIP Lounge along with a complimentary dram of Glenfiddich Scotch whisky. Visit www.tasteofmumbai.in for details and www.bookmyshow.com to buy tickets.

Five things you need to know about... Taste of Mumbai

Garden party Revellers at the London edition of the Taste festival

Canadian Kelvin Cheung is the executive chef at Colaba’s Ellipses, one of the 12 participating restaurants at the Taste of Mumbai festival. A third-generation chef, Cheung talks to Aatish Nath about where he likes to eat in Mumbai and his general food philosophy.

Is there an overriding food philosophy you follow?My only goal is to stay true to my food [and] my style. To have respect for the ingredient and respect for the techniques. I’ve learned this growing up, when I accompanied my father [a chef and restaurateur] to the market while he purchased his groceries.

As a third-generation chef, what was your family’s reaction to your decision to enter the kitchen full-time?I was repeatedly told not to enter the hospitality profession. When I choose to become a chef, my father sat me down and had a long talk to make sure [cooking] was something I wanted to do for the rest of my career.

Where do you go to eat in Mumbai? I frequent King of Iran in Byculla. Once, after a late night out with the other chefs we asked our taxi driver to take us somewhere that was open and that he would go to eat at 3am. We’ve been going back ever since. Now, they recognize us and we don’t have to order anymore, they just have us sit down and send us whatever is made fresh. I end up going at least once every week.

Three questions with...Kelvin Cheung

Top chef Kelvin Cheng

v9i13_Food & Drink 005.indd 44 2/9/2013 12:45:40 AM


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We nearly thought Aoi (pronounced “aawee”) was a manga café. The handle on the door is an origami crane; the birds nest on the ceiling too. A bookshelf with volumes on ikebana and haiku, as well as green tea guides, can be found next to the kitchen.

The à la carte menu (bound on the right, the way Japanese books are) reflects the meticulousness displayed in the interiors. The steamed prawn with cream cheese dumpling caught our eye, but the portion, served with the tail peaking out of the dim sum, was disappointing. The refined-flour skin was too thick, and overpowered the delicately steamed prawn inside; the white of the cream cheese didn’t impart any flavour either.

We fared better with the crab sushi, with Japanese mayonnaise and chives, but it’s better without its accompaniments. The soy sauce is overly light and very

sweet, while the tiny wasabi balls lack any kick. Our ramen, the white miso

bouillabaisse, is a subtle dish: the slightly

tangy broth, perfectly cooked noodles, seafood and garnish of nori combined to make a great spoonful. The vegetarian golden curry that we tried was sans the spicy kimchi the menu promised; a shame, as the piquant curry could have done with some tempering.

Aoi had not yet started serving desserts, so we ended our meal with green tea. Our organic and almost caffeine-free tea was a light and refreshing end to a meal filled with several overwhelming flavours.

Aoi’s moderate pricing is likely to be a draw, but the range of dishes and uneven execution makes navigating their menu a bit of a task. With the hope of a little more attention in our hearts, we’ll be back to sample more from their impressive selection. Aatish Nath

An expertly rolled sushi is one of the few dishes Time Out will hoof the whole city for – and the prawn tempura roll at Skky, the new rooftop restaurant and lounge bar, made the trek to Powai bearable. The densely packed rice gave way to the crunchy prawn and we tasted a hint of the teriyaki glaze the menu had promised. We’d browsed the menu on an interactive Sony tablet, with photographs of each dish and were impressed, if somewhat confused by its diversity: sushi, salads and dim sum sat comfortably alongside pizzas and, err, a tandoor menu.

Skky is a serene restaurant and bar, furnished in dark greys and blacks, with frangipani trees and faux lotuses in ankle-deep water. A long bar – Skky claims

it’s the longest in the city – along the entrance means boisterous drinkers can raise hell without disturbing diners. The entire restaurant is laid out to provide privacy and quiet for diners, but that makes catching the waiter’s eye just a little bit harder.

We eventually succeeded in placing our order and celebrated with a whiskey sour and orange margarita. The bar uses fresh ingredients; syrups and mixers are made in-house with no artificial

sweetners. A relief, because we like our frothy margaritas flavourful, but with a kick.

Our drunken prawn soup, a thick, quivering broth, was delicious, and made us wish they hadn’t scrimped on the prawn pieces (we got only two). The chicken dim sum, four pieces to an order, were great as well. On the chef’s recommendation, we went with the salmon in black bean sauce which turned out to have too little sauce and was overcooked. It was saved by the soba noodles that alone would make a great one-dish lunch.

The chef insisted we try the green tea and a paan ice cream for a sweet end to the meal. The subtlety of the green tea was lost after a meal with intense soy and chilli flavours. But the paan ice cream, managed to recreate the taste of betel leaves, and the hidden areca nut (supari) was like finding a butterscotch crunchie.

The attentive staff, good food and outdoor setting, a rarity in Mumbai, make us hope Skky starts attracting more than just hotel guests and the odd couple out on a date. But its steep prices and location may deter even those who love their sushi. AN

Aoi

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New reviews

Aoi 1 Gloria, St John Baptist Road, near Mount Mary Steps, Bandra (W) (6999-5000). Daily noon-midnight. No alcohol. All major cards. Meal for two 1,000-2,000.

THE BILLPrawn gyoza with cream cheese `350.00

Aoi breezer `150.00

Crabmeat sushi `425.00

Whito miso bouillabaisse `450.00

Veg golden curry with spicy kimchi `350.00

Organic Kukeicha `150.00

Total (incl taxes) `2,086.00

Skky Ramada Hotel and Convention Centre, Second Floor, Saki Vihar Road, Powai (6777-6000). Daily 5pm-1am. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 3,000-6,000.

THE BILLWhiskey sour `650.00

Orange margarita `650.00

Drunken prawn soup `275.00

Chicken dim sum `325.00

Prawn tempura roll `450.00

Wok tossed soba `500.00

Grilled salmon with black bean sauce `1200.00

Green tea ice cream `325.00


honest, fair review

Time Out reviews anonymously and pays for

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Verdict Sky-high prices for good Asian fare.

�� Verdict Reasonable Japanese food for the price-conscious.

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The Sassy Spoon resembles a girly boudoir with its pink walls and padded chairs, candelabras, a gorgeous wall inset with trunks, and sheer white curtains at the glass facade. The menus are bound with pink ribbon, and a blue bicycle leans against the al fresco patio festooned with fairy lights. The restaurant serves a lighter lunch menu, which may explain the rather incongruous deli-style blackboard adjacent to an illustrated panel of fruits. But it’s the lovely, intimate atmosphere and the intriguing menu that had our gang lingering over a three-hour dinner, recollecting the kind of food we’d like to take to bed.

Restaurateur-chef Rachel Goenka, aged 24, returned to Mumbai last April after studying at Paris’s rigorous Le Cordon Bleu and Ireland’s Ballymaloe Cookery School, where sourcing daily from its organic market garden inspired her to “keep everything fresh”. For the restaurant’s European-style cuisine, she experimented for nearly two months with chef Irfan Pabaney, who has worked at Hakkasan and Indigo. The menu’s beguiling pairings include roasted rawas served on lemongrass risotto with pulli kozahumbe (Tamilian tamarind gravy).

Our cocktails introduced us to the tangy guanabana (soursop) and the green Mirabelle plum. The drinks are as strong as you’d expect at a joint called The Sassy Spoon, and the staff is very helpful. We heartily approved of Rachel’s Martini, a summery blend of citron vodka, peach schnapps, lime, apple and pear with an aftertaste of hazelnut. Dinner began with a South Indian twist as the coco passion bellini (coconut rum, peach schnapps, passion-fruit purée and Champagne) was surprisingly redolent of Kerala, which we finally put down to the flavour of desiccated coconut. Our coastal exploration included spicy mulgapudi-crusted scallops offset by the garlicky Arabic sauce “thoom”, and oven-baked Kerala oysters with orange gremolata (Italian herb condiment). The flavours might have worked better

as garnishes as they overpowered the seafood. While we warmed up to the twice-baked emmenthal soufflé with green apple and candied walnut salad, we wished their appetiser portions were bigger. We couldn’t get enough of the bacon-smoked sweet corn soup with butter-poached lobster, whose comforting embrace seemed to mute out the world. Our plans to return were bolstered by their equally inventive – and lesser priced – lunch menu with its open-faced ciabatta sandwich of pink peppercorn-crusted roast beef and kashundi mayo. The restaurant will rolling out high tea soon.

Next time, we might skip straight to dessert. Our entrees of aubergine moussaka, and the anise and sesame-braised pork belly with homemade brun weren’t impressive for their price. But The Sassy Spoon really saves

the best for the last bite and is wonderfully accompanied by their strong coffee. The wacky-sounding lemon cheese tart with its dulce falooda sabja jelly and beer sorbet was a delightfully tangy, creamy tart with a boozy accompaniment that will call all the boys to the yard. It had teasing gelatinous bits as did the divine chocolate mousse flavoured with raspberry liqueur and jelly on a chocolate meringue base. Sure, we’d visited Express Towers (Goenka’s grandfather founded the Indian Express) before on journalistic missions, but this one left us with a sugar rush that had us floating over the business hub to the bracing salt of Marine Drive. Saumya Ancheri

The Sassy Spoon

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The Sassy Spoon Ground Floor, Express Towers, Ramnath Goenka Marg, Nariman Point (2288-8222). Daily noon-3.30pm, 7pm-midnight. Alcohol served/ Meal for two 3,500-8,000. All major credit cards.

THE BILLRachel’s Martini `600.00

Coco Passion Bellini `550.00

Kerala oysters `685.00

Mulgapudi-crusted scallops `825.00

Emmenthal soufflé `425.00

Sweet corn lobster soup `425.00

Aubergine moussaka `625.00

Pork belly with homemade brun `885.00

Raspberry and chocolate mousse `365.00

Lemon cheese tart `325.00


TeazeTeaze! And we thought only Time Out had a penchant for puns. So what is bubble tea? Bubble tea originated in Taiwan and is named for the black tapioca “bubbles” that are introduced to a basic iced tea; either milk or water-based. At Teaze, they’ve expanded the range of bubbles from simple tapioca to include flavours like mango and lychee as well as others. Be warned: it’s known to be highly addictive.

So it doesn’t taste like gum? Not quite. Our green apple-flavoured green tea was sickeningly sweet, though not unexpected for a drink made

with syrup, bottles of which were behind the counter. They also offer black tea, in flavours like almond, honey and taro.

Am I only going to find tea there? Teaze does not serve food

and is devoted to teas, milkshakes and smoothies. Their “Energisers” are made using fresh fruit juice. We tried the watermelon quencher with yogurt bubbles. The drink had none of the promised mint or ginger, and we ended up with a simple watermelon juice with a generous zing of chaat masala. The yogurt bubble – a small ball filled with yogurt that oozes out once bitten into – brought nothing to the table. It is as vile as it sounds. You may fare better with the smoothies that are made from fruit-juice yogurt, or the “T-shakes”, that is milk tea whipped with chocolate or ice cream, but we didn’t hazard a try

of either after the taste left in our mouth by the “Energiser”.

Are you paying for the ambience?Not really. Teaze is a hole-in-the-wall opposite Golden Star at Charni Road. Inside, against the wall at the back, is the machine used to vaccum-seal each glass. Getting to the entrance requires some training in calisthenics: you’ll have to leap over college kids lounging on the steps with their colourful drinks. Teaze, 6 Krishna Niwas, Ground Floor, near Hinduja College, Charni Road (E). Daily 10.30am-11pm. No alcohol served. Cash only. From 40.

so many places, so little time

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Verdict The bill inspires sour faces but there are sweet returns.

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Burger festival at Manchester United CaféThe international burger festival at the Manchester United Café features vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers from countries that include Mexico, Lebanon, England and Thailand. Try out burgers named after famous footballers like Wayne Rooney, Ola Hernandez and Baichung Bhutia. The Mexican burger consists of a vegetarian or chicken patty topped with chipotle mayonnaise and jalapenos while the Thai burger is flavoured with caramelised onions and roasted peanuts. The festival runs till Sun Feb 17.Third Floor, Palladium, Lower Parel. Noon-1am. Alcohol served. All major cards. Also at R City Mall, Ghatkopar and Infinity Mall, Mulund. Meal for two 800.

Saturday brunch at Olive BandraBandra’s Olive is bucking the Sunday brunch trend to launch their own version on a Saturday. Spicy charmoula prawns, pork sliders, an array of wood fired pizzas and chicken espetada are some of the dishes on the menu. Just a meal can be had for 1,000 (plus taxes), while 1,500 (plus taxes) will get you unlimited drinks that includes Kingfisher beer, Old Monk rum and Dewars whisky among others. A tarot card reader and foot massages are available for those who are interested. 14, Union Park, Carter Road, Bandra (W)(4340-8228). Noon-4pm. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 2,000-3,000 (plus taxes).

Poush opens in ThaneThe Kashmiri restaurant Poush, has opened its third city outlet at Thane. Bite into succulent seekh

kebabs, goshtaba, dum aloo and rajma that the northern region is famous for. The decor includes houseboat replicas and a private dining area shielded by curtains for each table. Poush’s other resturants are at Cuffe Parade and Andheri.Big Shopping Centre, Above Hypercity Mall, Ghodbunder Road, Kasarvadavali, Thane (W) (6565-4554). 11am-4pm, 7-11pm. No alcohol. All major cards. Meal for two 800-1,200.

Rich Table at The TableFri Feb 22 The Colaba restaurant, The Table will be the venue of a pop-up restaurant by the husband and wife chef duo, Evan and Sarah Rich of the San Francisco eatery, Rich Table for one night only. The couple will be cooking a four-course meal with local produce that is priced at `3,500 (plus taxes and service charge). Guests will be required to put down 1,000 deposit at the time of making the booking. Dietary requirements can be accommodated. Bookings can be made on the phone or by emailing [email protected] Suba Palace, Apollo Bunder, Colaba (2282-5000). 7pm onwards with staggered seating. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 7,000 (plus taxes).

Cake pops at YogurtbayThe frozen yogurt chain is expanding its offerings with a new line of cake pops. These lollipop-like mini cakes are available in three flavours – dark chocolate with vanilla muffin, milk chocolate with Nutella brownie and white chocolate with red velvet – the cake pops are priced at 40 for two and can be used as a

frozen yogurt topping as well. 11 Gagangiri, Off Carter Road, Bandra (W)(98333-60235). 11am-1am. No alcohol. All major cards. From 40. Also at Warden Road.

New Sunday brunches Elbo RoomChicken wings, crab claws, jacket potatoes with butter, garlic and cheese and Belgian waffles are just some of the dishes on offer at Khar’s Elbo Room. The à la carte menu can be enjoyed with tipples off the drinks menu that includes pints of beers and both local and international liquors. 500 Sant Kutir Apartments, Linking Road, Khar (W)(2648-3316). Noon - 1am. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 1,200.

Otto InfinitoThe casual eatery at Bandra Kurla Complex has introduced a new Sunday brunch priced at 1,250 without alcohol or 1,850 with alcohol. The booze on offer is Kingfisher pints, Tuscan wines and Ketel One martinis. A grill station with fresh seafood and meats, pizzas, pastas and risottos are some of the dishes being served. Desserts include chocolate tarts, soufflés and tiramisu. Raheja Tower, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E)(2656-7777). Noon-4pm. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two `2,500-3,700.

The Little DoorNormally open from 6pm to 1am daily, on Sundays, the Little Door welcomes patrons in the afternoon for a brunch spread. The menu includes salads, cold cuts and desserts. Large plates are ordered from a special menu and made to order. There are breakfast, starter and main course options. 793 (plus taxes) will get you food and a pint of Fosters, while 1,393 (plus taxes) gives you unlimited food and drink. Kingfisher beer, Sula wines and Indian spirits are the drinks on offer. Ground Floor, Shree Siddhivinayak Plaza, Off New Link Road, Andheri (W)(2673-2528). Noon-4pm. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 1586-2786 (plus taxes).

Appetisers

Golden buns Manchester United Café's burger festival spread

Chef Ajay Chopra of the Westin Mumbai Garden City will be participating in the Taste of Mumbai festival this fortnight. We’ve asked Chopra to share a dish he enjoys making.While the recipe Chopra has shared with us is deceptively simple, look out for his more complex dishes at the Taste festival, where Prego, the hotel’s Italian eatery, is one of the 12 restaurants showcasing its fare.

Ingredients2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil4 seedless triangles of watermelon4 small cubes of feta cheese1 small blanched leekMint leavesSea salt

MethodMarinate the watermelon in extra virgin olive oil.Heat water in a pan and blanch the leek.Place the blanched leek sheet at the bottom and arrange the marinated watermelon and cubes of feta.Garnish each piece with mint leaves and sprinkle some sea salt as per taste.

ChEF'S TAKEWatermelon and feta

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Our critics’ pick of Mumbai’s best restaurants

Vegetarian Cocktails Time Out Food Award nominee Time Out Food Award winner

Recent reviewsCafé SundanceThe old Sundance Café, was missed soon after it shut down. In its new avatar it is run by the people behind Mediterranean restaurant, Two One Two Bar and Grill. The café serves pancakes, eggs Benedict and masala chicken bhurji for breakfast. Through the day, the kitchen dishes out hot barbecue wings, burgers, hot dogs, linguini tossed in carbonara sauce and a long list of thin-crust pizzas. Sundance’s cream walls, bleached wood tables and chairs and large windows that overlook the street outside make it a nice, sunny spot for an indulgent breakfast or lazy lunch. We’d recommend a burger at the counter that overlooks the street.Ground Floor, Eros Cinema Building, M.K. Road, Churchgate (2202-6212). Daily 8-1am. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 800-2,000.

ImbissImbiss is the perfect joint venture for a carnivorous suburb. The little café on Waroda Road, serves hearty, homely German fare like schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, barbecued baby back ribs, beef roast and an assortment of wonderful-sounding sausages, all of which are made in-house. A blackboard on which a lopsided scrawl advertises the day’s specials and (faux) exposed brick walls are among the charming touches at the eatery. The sausage platter – a mix of pork, chicken and, if they’re feeling generous, duck sausage – was a sure-fire winner or else try the fantastic weiner schnitzel.Shop No 5, Ben-o-Hill Haven Co-operative Housing Society, 14 Waroda Road, off Hill Road, opposite Bob Tailor, Bandra (W) (8459-6413/ 6414-4985). Tue-

Sun noon-3pm, 7pm-midnight. No alcohol. All major cards. Meal for two 400-800.

Cheval Cheval’s white, textured walls, with a single black horse painted on one wall – cheval means horse in French – put too fine a point on its name and location. But its pastel walls and exposed ceiling beams give it a rustic feel. The two stand-out dishes we tried are the mackerel teriyaki and the pork belly. The former paired the strong saltiness of the fish with the slightly sweet teriyaki sauce and comes with a side of pickled cucumber. The belly was tender and fatty, and served with the accompanying pork jus that could stand a little more thickening. Kala Ghoda now has an all-day restaurant where you can relax with a glass of wine. Matching neighbourhood eateries in terms of price and quality, but with a more inventive menu, tourists and citygoers alike will welcome this new addition to the culture club.First floor, 145 Mahatma Gandhi Road, next to Rhythm House, Fort (4039-6632). Daily noon-11.30pm. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 1,000-3,000.

Pali Bhavan Old-school chequered floors; stained distressed walls carpeted with beautiful old photographs of people and various gods (an overkill); colonial furniture; and

delicate, if mismatched, pretty chandeliers, give Pali Bhavan, the new Indian food restaurant by the couple behind Pali Village Café, a resplendent look that transcends several periods. The food at Pali Bhavan is for the fragile, expat palate. Not spicy, but still tasty, the huge chunks of melt-in-your-mouth dhoodhiyan murg tikka were rubbed with the right amount of yogurt-y masala. The main course’s Alleppey fish curry, though thick and creamy, tasted too much like a Thai red curry, while the tariwala kukkar’s tomato flavours overshadowed everything else. Our smooth plum and grape vodka-based cocktail with fresh, floating pieces of fruit though was a winner. 10 Adarsh Nagar, next to Costa Coffee, Pali Naka, Bandra (W) (2651-9400). Daily noon-3pm, 7pm-12.30am. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two `3,000-4,500.

SevenSeven “island-like” kitchen stations, spread throughout the restaurant, serve a buffet that cover a variety of cuisines including Chinese (dim sum), Italian (pizza and pasta), Japanese (sushi) and regulation Indian fare. Coffee-shop nibbles like kathi rolls, club sandwhiches and pizzas are on the menu, alongside more filling dishes like a nasi goreng or a smoked paprika tenderloin, but it’s the

buffet that is the big draw. For `1750 (plus taxes) you can take a culinary journey through some of the touchstones of world cuisine. The buffet includes translucent dim sum, stuffed with shiitake mushrooms that melted in the mouth and sushi with crispy seaweed, tender rice and generous portions of tuna. The margherita pizza and spaghetti aglio olio were both underwhelming. The pasta counter, reminiscent of the perfunctory stations set up at wedding receptions, was serviceable at best. Portion sizes though are small and encourage sampling. The dessert selection is vast and will likely end up putting a halt to a lot of diets. Seven is worth the visit for seafood and Asian food lovers who will recover the price of their meal at the Japanese section alone. It did prove too expensive for a post-work dinner stop though.Shangri-La Hotel, 462 Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (6162-8000). Daily 24 hours. Alcohol served. All major cards. Meal for two 4,200

hot tables

Table manners Discreet service at Seven MO

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ThIS IS hOW WE DO IT Each fortnight all the restaurants and bars

that appear in this section are chosen by Time Out's Food & Drink critics. We visit the establishments anonymously and pay for our own meals and drinks.

Listings are chosen at the discretion of the editors. Time Out does not accept compensation of any kind in exchange for listing venues

Prices shown are our estimates of typical costs for two people with drinks and services


Wall flowersThe Kai Po Che boys paid us a visit

Time OffThe cultural fortnight ahead

See High fliers on page 70. Photograph by Mohnish Dabhoya.

v9i13_Around Town 002.indd 51 2/9/2013 12:53:02 AM


Even at the age of seven, mentalist Lior Suchard was a performer. “If you wanted

to find me you just needed to look for a circle of people and I was in the middle doing some mind tricks,” said Suchard, who went to school in Haifa, a bustling port city in northern Israel. When we met Suchard, now 31, at the NCPA Café in Mumbai not much had changed. Even before the interview began, Suchard asked for my notebook and scribbled a quick message. He then asked me to name a two-digit number – I picked 21. Suchard flipped open the pad and pointed to his message. It read, “Nergish will say 21.”

After completing school and three years of mandatory military training in the Israeli army at the age of 21, Suchard began touring the world. Over the last 10 years, he has performed in Singapore, Australia, South America, Japan and even on Jay Leno’s The Tonight

Show. This fortnight, he aims to wow audiences at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

As a boy, Suchard harangued his mathematics teacher with dozens of questions. Eventually, he was allowed to perform in the last five minutes of every class in exchange for remaining quiet and attentive the rest of the time. Many of his mind-bending feats are inspired by tricks that amazed his classmates. For instance, as a child he would ask friends to hide a coin in their palm and then he would guess if it was in their right or left hand. “In the show it is going to happen with 10 people,” said Suchard hinting that a lot of money would be at stake. “And if I don’t find the money they get to keep the money.” Don’t

get too attached to the cash, however, as Suchard repeatedly picked the correct hand despite my best efforts to confuse him. At one point, I even contemplated dropping the coin altogether. But Suchard was one step ahead as always. “Don’t try and trick me,” he admonished.

While that might seem like a clear indication of his mind-reading abilities, Suchard is the first to admit that being cognisant of non-verbal cues is essential. “When I do these things with people it is not just mind reading,” said Suchard. “It is a lot of psychology, a lot of

body language reading.” Suchard also believes positive thinking plays a key role. His personal philosophy is remarkably similar to

author Rhonda Byrne’s optimistic worldview documented in her 2006 self-help book, The Secret. Last year, Suchard published his first book on the subject, Mind Reader: Unlocking the Power of Your Mind to Get What You Want.

Though Suchard claimed to always know if someone is lying and said he could sense a person’s aura, his mind-reading abilities do have certain limitations. “I can’t tell you what that man is thinking over there, said Suchard, pointing to a waiter at the far end of the room, “but if I focus and ask you to think of something specific… then it is possible for me to start working on your mind.”

While the thought of being manipulated by a mentalist can be daunting, Suchard assured us that it could only be done with the person’s permission. “Basically, if you don’t want me to succeed I will not succeed,” said Suchard. Sam Marshall, Suchard’s agent, admitted that his client could often read his mind but he said that over time, he had figured out how to make his thoughts “opaque”.

Even thinking in another language isn’t a foolproof way of side-stepping a mentalist. “I was doing a TV show in Japan…and a person was thinking of a word from a newspaper and I wrote something down,” recalled Suchard. “For me it was a picture but I actually wrote the word that he was thinking of.”

In the hour that I spent with Suchard, he got my sunglasses to flip over without touching them; a metal coin to droop like a wilting flower and a complex mathematical calculation of numbers derived from my birthday and passport number to add up to 21017. Upside down, 21017 spells “LIOR”. While sceptics could probably come up with reasonable explanations for each feat – he is a whizz with numbers or a transparent string was attached to the sunglasses, for instance – I was completely entranced. Especially when he gave me the bent metal coin as a keepsake. As for Suchard, he doesn’t let doubting Thomases affect his sunny outlook. “I believe there are two ways to live life, he said, “to think that nothing is a miracle or that everything is a miracle.”

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Supernatural Entertainer is on Sat Feb 16 and Sun Feb 17. See Events.

Around Town

Brain teaser Nergish Sunavala engages in mental gymnastics with mind reader Lior Suchard.

Questionable behaviour Lior Suchard

It is not just mind reading, it is a lot of

psychology, a lot of body language reading

v9i13_Around Town 002.indd 52 2/8/2013 7:24:47 PM

Around Tow

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EventsFri Feb 15FREE Asiatic Society lecture Lawyer Navroz Seervai will give a talk titled, “The Law as a Vehicle of Social Change: Fact or Fiction?”

Durbar Hall, Asiatic Society, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Fort (2266-0956). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Horniman Circle. 6pm.

Sat Feb 16Buddhism workshop This two-day workshop by Suraj Pandit, head of the department of ancient Indian culture at Sathaye College in Mumbai, will explore Buddhist history, literature, art and architecture.

Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, University of Mumbai, Health Centre Building, Vidyanagari, Kalina, Santa Cruz (E) (6595-2761, 2653-0266). G Santa Cruz (WR, CR Harbour). v Vidyanagari.3-6pm. 1,000 for college students and 2,000 for others.

Egyptian Art Cart Use a variety of art materials like paper or clay to

make your own Egyptian artefact. Seminar Room, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, MG Road, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2284-4484). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum. 11am-4pm. Entry fee is 50 for Indians, 300 for foreigners, 25 for college students and 10 for kids between 5 and 12 years plus 20 per art activity.

FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings Every Saturday and Sunday, the Krishnamurti Foundation India arranges video screenings.

Himmat Niwas, 31 Doongersey Road, near Elizabeth Nursing Home, Malabar Hill (2363-3856). G Grant Road (WR).v Banganga. 5.30-6.30pm.

Museum tour Event website Trabblr

44058 or visit www.bookmyshow.com. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v NCPA. 7.30pm. 750, `1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000.

FREE The World’s Artistic Legacy: The Role of the J Paul Getty Trust The president and CEO of the J Paul Getty Trust, James Cuno, will deliver this lecture. He has authored books such as Museums Matter: In Praise of the Encyclopedic Museum and Who Owns Antiquity: Museums and the Battle over Our Ancient Heritage.

See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address. 6pm.

Sun Feb 17FREE Chai and Why? Rahul Vaze from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is conducting a session on single pixel cameras.

Room 2 Science, Ruparel College, Senapati Bapat Marg, opposite Matunga Road Station, Matunga. G Matunga Road (WR), Matunga (CR Main).v Ruparel College. 11am-1pm.

Farmers’ Market Farmers across Maharashtra supply fresh, certified organic fruits and vegetables.

Nakshatra Van, Maharashtra Nature Park, opposite Dharavi Bus Depot, Dharavi. G Sion (CR Main). v Dharavi Depot. Also at Jai Hind College, A Road, Churchgate. G Churchgate (WR). v Churchgate Station. 10am-3pm.

FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings See Sat Feb 16.

Once upon a time in Egypt See Sat Feb 16.

ReachIvy lecture The managing director of Axis Capital, Manish Chokhani, in conversation with ReachIvy founder Vibha Kagzi. The session is titled, “London Business School: Grooming Visionaries”.

Indian Merchants’ Chamber, IMC Road, Churchgate (2204-6633). Register at www.reachivy.com. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Churchgate Station. Arrive at 4pm for on the spot registration. 100.

FREE Skateboarding meet Trainers will give beginners tips on how to skateboard while veterans wow them with daredevil stunts. Participants don’t need to have their own boards.

and the Bhau Daji Lad Museum are organising a tour of the museum’s permanent and visiting collections including the art exhibition High tide for a blue moon.

Register by www.trabblr.com/Mumbai by Fri Feb 15. 11am-12.30pm. 300.

Once upon a time in Egypt Kids and adults can listen to Egyptian legends.

Seminar Room, CSMVS, See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address and entry fee. 11.30am-12.30pm, 1.30-2.30pm.

EDITOR’S PICK Supernatural entertainer Mentalist Lior Suchard will read minds, bend metal spoons and perform other mind-boggling feats. See Brain teaser on page 52.

Tata Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, Nariman Point (6622-3737). Call 6622-3724, 98336-

This section consists of a round-up of the fortnight’s events. G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop. FREE denotes no admission fee.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Nergish Sunavala. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publi-cation, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guar-anteed due to limited space.


This four-day exhibition will showcase documentaries, ad campaigns and a magazine created by Sophia Polytechnic’s mass media students. The themes of the 20-minute films range from a lack of public toilets for women, gender identity disorder and single parenting. The students’ magazine, Marginalia, will focus on documenting the city’s haves and have-nots, while the student’s advertising campaigns will throw light on issues like tuberculosis, immunisation and diabetes. See Student film, photo and campaign exhibition in Exhibitions.

Course of actionSophia Polytechnic’s SCM exhibition


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Boardriders, Phoenix Market City Mall, LBS Road, near Kamani Junction, Kurla (W). G Kurla (CR Main & Harbour). v Kamani junction. Noon-3pm.

EDITOR’S PICK Supernatural entertainer See Sat Feb 16.

Tue Feb 19 EDITOR’S PICK The Preservation Lab Mummification was the art of preservation practised in ancient Egypt. Learn about modern methods of preservation like taxidermy.

Activity Tent, Museum Garden, CSMVS, See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address and entry fee. 11am-noon.

EDITOR’S PICK Understanding Conservation Art collectors can learn how to better maintain their collection at this talk delivered by museum conservators.

CSMVS, See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address and entry fee. Noon-1pm.

Wed Feb 20Asia Society lecture The South Asia bureau chief of The Economist, Adam Roberts, will talk about his book, India Grows at Night, with author, columnist and CEO of Procter & Gamble India, Gurcharan Das.

Convention Hall, Bombay Stock Exchange, PJ Towers, Dalal Street, Fort. Email [email protected] to register for the talk. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Hutatma Chowk. 6pm.

EDITOR’S PICK FREE The Horizon of Eternity: living and dying in ancient Egypt John Taylor, who works in the ancient Egypt and Sudan department of the British Museum, will talk about the role of the pharaoh as an intermediary between men and gods.

See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address. 6pm.

FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings Every Wednesday, the Krishnamurti Foundation India arranges video screenings of talks by the philosopher.

71, Savarkar Sadan, near Balmohan Vidyamandir School, MB Raut Road, Shivaji Park (93237-49567). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Shivaji Park. 5.30-6.30pm.

Thur Feb 21 EDITOR’S PICK FREE Bombay Gothic Christopher London, author of Bombay Gothic, will trace the history of Mumbai’s Gothic architecture. This will be followed by a discussion between London, Abha Narain Lambah and Sidharth Bhatia.

Studio X, Kitab Mahal, Fourth Floor, 192 Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Fort (6769-1100). Call 99301-34152, 99301-36486 or email [email protected] before attending. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v New Excelsior. 6pm.

Utsav Supersonic Travels Tourists can understand Maharashtra’s culture through a performance of folk dances and a recreation of festivals.

National Gallery of Modern Art, MG Road, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2288-

1969). Call Suresh Tanwar on 98200-70925 for entry fee. G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum. 7pm.

Fri Feb 22FREE Asiatic Society lecture Librarians Antonia Moon and Margaret Makepeace will talk about the British Library’s Indian office records.

Durbar Hall, Asiatic Society, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Horniman Circle, Fort (2266-0956). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Horniman Circle. 6pm.

Sat Feb 23 Egyptian Art Cart See Sat Feb 16.FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings See Sat Feb 16.


Sun Feb 24FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings See Sat Feb 16.

FREE Skateboarding meet See Sun Feb 17.


Mon Feb 25 Mumbai Mondays This session on the varied history of African Americans will be conducted by consular officer Jennifer Noisette.

Multipurpose Room, The American Center, US Consulate General, G-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra (E) (2672-4581). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour).vG Block. 6pm.

Tue Feb 26FREE Asiatic Society lecture Artist and Indologist, Arundhati Vartak, will talk about the Indian classic Gatha-Saptashasti by the seventeenth ruler of the Satavahana dynasty in Andhra Pradesh.

Durbar Hall, Asiatic Society, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Fort (2266-0956). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Horniman Circle. 6pm.

FREE The Preservation Lab See

Tue Feb 19.

Wed Feb 27FREE J Krishnamurti lecture screenings See Wed Feb 20.

Thur Feb 28Utsav Supersonic Travels See Thur Feb 21.

ExhibitionsEDITOR’S PICK Mummy: The Inside Story On display are animal-shaped amulets, figurines of Egyptian deities like Osiris, Isis and Horus, mummified animals and people. The centrepiece is the 3,000-year-old mummy, Nesperennub. Don’t miss the 3D movie, which will delve into his life.

Ongoing. Tue-Sun 10.15am-6pm, Mon 10.15am-4.30pm. CSMVS, See Egyptian Art Cart on Sat Feb 16 for address and entry fee.

FREE Student film, photo and campaign exhibition The 2012 batch of Sophia Polytechnic’s Social Communications and Media department screens their 20-minute video films, photographs and social campaigns. See Course of action on page 53.

Thur Feb 21-Sun Feb 24. Daily Audio Visual Room, Sixth Floor, Sophia Polytechnic, Bhulabhai Desai Road (2351-3157). G Grant Road (WR). v Sophia College.

EDITOR’S PICK Vegetable, Fruit and Flower show The National Society of the Friends of the Trees holds its annual flower show. Participants interested in entering the gardening competition should call 2202-4843 or email [email protected].

Sat Feb16-Sun Feb 17 11am-8pm. Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute, Matunga (E) (2414-6972). G Matunga (CR Main), King’s Circle (CR Harbour). v Kapole Nivas.

FestivalsEDITOR’S PICK FREE Bonjour India The second edition of this

three-month-long festival will feature performances by French electronica troupe Scratch Bandits Crew, Afro-soul singer Imany and a theatre performance, Gates to India Song, starring Indian actress Nandita Das.

Visit www.bonjour-india.in for schedule.

Register nowThinking architecture This seminar, organised by Arbour Research Initiatives in Architecture, will run over six sessions from Wed Mar 6 to Fri Mar 22. The session will be conducted by JJ College of Architecture professor, Mustansir Dalvi, Kaiwan Mehta from Arbour and Mitra Mukherjee-Parikh, an associate professor from SNDT Women’s University.

Call 2265-2505or email [email protected]. 6.30-8.30pm. 2,000.

Walks, tours, treks EDITOR’S PICK Bicycle tour Pedal past Marine Drive, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Sassoon Dock on Sun Feb 17 with event website Trabblr and Reality Tours and Travels.

Register by Fri Feb 15 on www.trabblr.com/Mumbai. 7.45-11am. 1,000.

Village cycling tour Get a taste of the simple life during this cycling trip organised by event website Trabblr and village tourism firm Grassroutes.

Register by Thur Feb 21 on www.trabblr.com/Mumbai. 6.30am. 6,000.

Yeoor Hills trek Nestled in a secluded spot of Sanjay Gandhi National Park are rare birds like the purple-rumped sunbird and the gold-fronted leafbird. Spot them on Sun Feb 17 during this walk organised by the Bombay Natural History Society.

Meeting points: near Punjabi Chandu Halwai in Dadar (E), near Diamond Garden in Chembur, near Cadbury Junction in Thane. Call 2282-1811 or email [email protected]. `750.

Nagla forest trail Explore the lesser known Nagla block of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park with the BNHS on Sun Feb 24. Located near Vasai creek, it is home to various species of wetland birds, butterflies and monsoon plants.

Meeting points: near Punjabi Chandu Halwai in Dadar (E), near Diamond Garden in Chembur, near Cadbury Junction and Hiranandani Junction in Thane. Call 2282-1811 or email [email protected]. `750.

Karnala Bird Sanctuary The densely forested Karnala Bird Sanctuary, just off the highway to Goa, is home to over 150 bird species. Among the commonly spotted mammals are four-horned antelopes, wild boar, langurs, African monkeys and muntjak or barking deer. Leopards are also seen, though less commonly. The walk will be organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. All ages.

The meeting point is Dadar TT, Dadar (E). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Dadar TT.6.30am. Call 2207-8105 or 2207-1970 to register. 1,250.

Critics’ choiceThe two best events this fortnight

Bombay GothicStudio XMumbai's conservation architects discuss the city's Gothic structures with Christopher London, author of Bombay Gothic.Thur Feb 21

Supernatural entertainer NCPABe prepared for a mind-blowing performance by mentalist Lior Suchard. Sat Feb 16 and Sun Feb 17

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Maurice Sendak’s considerable shadow looms over While

Everyone is Away, Nityan Unnikrishnan’s second exhibition at Chatterjee & Lal. The creatures that Unnikrishnan creates bear several similarities to the strange, but adorable beasts illustrated and scripted by the late American author in the seminal 1963 picture book Where the Wild Things Are. The Delhi-based artist’s mixed media on paper works retain the lovely storybook quality, but unlike Sendak’s “whole” critters, Unnikrishnan’s monsters contain worlds within them.

It comes as a surprise then, when we find that he discovered the artist’s work only last year. “I saw Where the Wild Things Are and fell in love with it,” he told Time Out over the phone. “After that, I have ended up buying all of [Sendak’s] books.” Unnikrishnan may not consider the children’s author an inspiration, but his seated figures call for another First World

parallel: the British figurative painter of Irish descent, Francis Bacon. “Friends have told me that the portraits, and recurring images like the furniture in the background are similar to Bacon’s works,” he said.

It is unlikely, however, that you’ll find any kinship between the charged, angry imagery of “Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion” or the Heads series, and the placidity of Unnikrishnan’s visual universe. Even in a slightly expressionistic piece titled “Howling Boy”, where a man’s head seems to have exploded to reveal a tight, claustrophobic clutch of buildings, there’s a parodic quality to be found. The bright palette of that painting is similar to that of “Rooms Downstairs”, perhaps the only painting with a “normal” figure.

Most of Unnikrishnan’s other paintings bear lighter tones, but are no less detailed.

“Quiet Times”, for instance, works at two levels: from a distance, you can discern two seated figures in apparent repose, as a building complex

stretches behind them. Step in for a more intimate view, however, and you’ll fathom a mountainous landscape, a top-view of two figures hugging each other, babies and a herd of elephants. This is achieved through a conscious process of layering. “Because I draw, use

ink, gouache and watercolours, the process allows for all those nooks and tributaries to stay visible and accessible,” he said. “If I were painting on canvas, these niches and references would be more mysterious.”

Similarly, in “Python”, a long,

riverine serpent contains boats, buildings and rolling clouds. “One begins with the presence of a memory or a web of thoughts, like a person living far away in your head,” said the artist, “whom you are trying to make sense of. Once the work begins, it is a quiet, trusting affair.”

Growing up in Kozhikode in Kerala, Unnikrishnan honed his skills at the National Institute of Design, where he was one of two people studying ceramic design. After coming to Delhi in 2004, he freelanced: making illustrations, designing products and furniture, working with craftspeople in Bastar, Mizoram and the Kutch region. But it was only with the goading of his wife and friends that Unnikrishnan took to art full-time, mounting his first exhibition Many Monsters, at Chatterjee & Lal in 2011. Even in that exhibit, the monsters are “unfamiliar, irregular, even kooky”, but never threatening or negative. “They are not heroes either. [But] some of them are really quite nice,” he said.

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Beastmaster “Man with Wings”

While Everyone is Away opens on Fri Feb 15 at Chatterjee & Lal. See Exhibitions.

Art

Karanjeet Kaur loves Nityan Unnikrishnan’s many monsters.

Wild things

Art


In a troika of prints at her latest exhibition, Womantime, Nalini Malani channels her interest in Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry. Lines from the ghazal “Lahu Ka Suragh”, translated by Agha Shahid Ali, mingle with floating, disembodied parts and silhouetted apparitions. Malani’s characteristic, crustacean-like figures meet what appear to be pistons, symbolising the state apparatus. The triptych is titled “In Search of Vanished Blood” after the ghazal; the deep crimson rivers that flow across the pieces drive home the contrast keenly. The silhouettes keep reappearing in Malani’s trademark “Alice” reverse acrylics. The artist tells Karanjeet Kaur about her continuing engagement with Lewis Carroll’s infantilised heroine and her politically charged video that premiered at the Kochi Muziris Biennale.

Alice has long made an appearance in your work. Where do you take her in the current series? Alice is an ongoing idea. I was intrigued how a male writer was able to project himself on a little girl. My work goes beyond the actual stories, and uses her as a metaphor. Lewis Carroll never addressed the older Alice; was unable to take cognisance of her as a menstruating, life-giving adult. The reason I was intrigued by that line [“when i use a word/ it means just what/ i choose it to mean” inscribed in “Getting Curiouser”] is because we tend not to understand the preciseness of language. I went to buy a SIM

card, and the mobile company was promising XYZ will be given “free” for 100. We are serving the gods of consumption society.

Have you been reading a lot of Faiz Ahmed Faiz? I am very fond of certain passages from Faiz, and even though I don’t read Urdu, I was fascinated with Agha Shahid Ali’s translations of his ghazals; it is difficult to get the mood right. “Lahu Ka Suragh” spoke about sectarian clashes where innocent blood has been shed; it is something we have gone through and continue to. And all of it in the name of God. Who is the victim, who is the conqueror?

Tell us about your video that premiered at the Kochi Muziris Biennale. The single-channel work [also titled “In Search of...”] opened at the Aspinwall site [one of the biennale venues]. I’d seen a map of the world with the United States of America at the centre. Usually, Greenwich is at the centre (although in China, I have seen maps with that country at the centre.) It seemed appropriate in a way – a lot of what is happening in the world today is because of USA: the global economic crises, the situation in the Middle East, the torture of prisoners. One of the images I had in mind was waterboarding. Many things have come out of it; it is like a huge epic novel, and I am compiling short stories.

Three questions with... Nalini Malani

In wonderland Nalini Malani

Review

South African artist William Kentridge’s first exhibition in India unfolds as a mini-retrospective of the artist’s practice and recent work, through a variety of media: lithographs, etchings, tapestry and the monstrous “I am not Me, The Horse is not Mine”, an eight-channel video installation.

On entrance, viewers are greeted with the sounds of a cacophonous orchestra, emanating from a small passage. It creates a space for the absurd, nudging the surreal lithographs, linocuts, collage and tapestry into more conversant tropes. In “Untitled”, a large collage of pages from The Century Dictionary: An Encyclopaedic Lexicon of the English Language, the artist transforms the pages into almost six feet of decaying flowers in a jar.

Words are further used as background in “No, IT IS”, a triptych of three flipbook films. In the central animation “Anatomy of Melancholy”, Kentridge (of European descent) can be seen frolicking through the pages, at times dancing with a woman of African origin. At the same time, the first animation, “Workshop Receipts” shows portraits of the artist as a coffee-maker, as a clock, and dancing with his portrait from the second book. The cleverly synced videos simultaneously connect ideas of liberty, apartheid, individuality and habit. Kentridge’s work is often absurd; the images and words he uses often work together to create nostalgia, of poems we might have known.

The show’s headliner, “I am not me, the horse is not mine” takes

its name from the Russian peasant phrase for denying guilt, and its content from preparatory work for Kentridge’s 2010-version of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s opera The Nose. The piece marries animation, live action, archival footage, in eight videos arranged around a room so the viewer can never see all at once. Some of the videos have a personified nose that attempts to climb a ladder to nowhere; on one occasion it is a ballerina.

It also references Russian political culture: the video “Prayers of Apology” is a transcript of a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Soviet Russia. Here, Bolshevik Nikolai Bukharin pleads his case against arrest and is scorned by his party. It is placed next to a stop-motion-animation figure in a military cap. Another shows a shadow in a Bolshevik coat. Both the animation and the shadow engage (“Country Dance I & II”) in a peasant dance that gives both figures newer forms, creating a connection between existing and newly-formed socio-political memories.

The viewer is left with an uncomfortably funny note of threats from a self-involved, totalitarian polity. Kentridge’s work exemplifies political half-truths and ideologies rent with inefficacy and bureaucratic enforcement, and casts aspersions on the character of the state in contemporary times. Phalguni Desai

The Poems I Used to Know

Log on “Rembrandt Shell”

Womantime is ongoing at Art Musings. See Exhibitions.

The Poems I Used to Know is ongoing at Volte Gallery. See Exhibitions.

Art


Galleries and other venues are listed by geographical area. Listings relating to photography, architecture and design are at the end of the section. Exhibition list-ings also include information on related activities. Events comprise student shows, lectures, perform-ances and screenings. Admission for all art venues is free unless oth-erwise stated. Venues are shut on public holidays and Sundays, unless otherwise stated. * denotes an exhibition we recommend. G denotes the nearest train station. denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Karanjeet Kaur. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, near-est train station and bus stop, tele-phone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publica-tion, appearing on the stands eve-ry other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Nariman Point to ColabaArtisans’ Mata: Painted Shrine Cloths of Ahmedabad II An exhibition of hand painted shrine cloths created by the Chitara families of the semi-nomadic Devi Pujak Waghari community of Ahmedabad. Until Fri Feb 15.

52-56VBGandhiMarg,KalaGhoda,Colaba(2267-3040).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).Museum.Daily11am-7pm.

Art MusingsEDITOR’S PICK Womantime An exhibition of videos and mixed media paintings by Nalini Malani. Ongoing. See Three questions with...on page 58.

1AdmiraltyBuilding,oppositeDunne’sInstitute,ColabaCrossLane,Colaba(2216-3339/2218-6071).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).SassoonDock.Daily10am-7pm.

Chatterjee & LalEDITOR’S PICK While Everyone is Away Works on paper by Delhi-based Nityan Unnikrishnan, who trained at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. From Fri Feb 15. See Wild things on page 56.

KamalMansion,01/18FirstFloor,ArthurBunderRoad,Colaba(2202-3787).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).RadioClub.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Chemould Prescott RoadEDITOR’S PICK Meandering Warp: Variations on a Theme An exhibition of tapestries by Monika Correa. Until Sat Feb 23.

QueensMansion,ThirdFloor,nearCathedral&JohnConnonSchool,GhanashyamTalwatkarMarg,Fort(2200-0212).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).KhadiBhandar.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Clark House Proletariat Aesthetics An exhibition of paintings by Kochi-based painter, Mohandas NN. Until Thu Feb 28.

Groundfloor,8NathalalParekhMarg,nearWoodsideInn,Colaba(98202-13816).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).RegalCinema.Daily11am-7pm.

Galerie Mirchandani+Steinruecke LAST CHANCE EDITOR’S PICK Illuminen In September 2011, a group of volunteers gathered guerrilla-style at public places like the Golden Gate Park and the Federal Building in San Francisco. The group proceeded to remove their clothes in a slow, deliberate, even fashion. This wasn’t a skin show, no one even stripped down to their essentials, and there was no music in the background to guide the group. Yet, everyone synchronised every movement, careful, for instance, to bend their elbows at the exact same angle. The entire exercise lasted 15-20 minutes, and then just as suddenly as they’d gathered, the group would disperse.

The group drew a variety of responses, but onlookers chiefly

“Fold”, Saraf had filmed herself involved in the banal act of folding laundry and humming idly. Except, nothing about the video was banal. The screen was split into an 8x12 grid which yielded 96 tiny frames. The timing of some of the frames was manipulated and dragged, so even the mechanical holding up of a skirt along the length of her arm appeared beautiful. “I am drawn to everyday actions,” she told us, “but I also like to escape from them.” Saraf had employed the same split-screen technique to a similar mesmerising effect in “Peel”, where she is cooking a meal in her kitchen. You can barely see what her hands are doing, but combined with her layered vocals, it is impossible to look away from the screen, even if she’s only opening her refrigerator door.

“When a simple act is multiplied so many times, it is like a choreography,” she said. “It takes the original act into a different realm. I like that; transformation is where my art happens. For instance, even the fan is a ‘creative act’. I take that initial creative act and highlight the things you don’t see about it.” Saraf is referring to her audio-based interactive installations “Oscillations” and “Spinning Ten”. In both, Saraf used the whirr of fans and an interplay of light to create synaesthetic experiences. The latter, a collaboration with Sebastian Alvarez, was set inside a booth. The viewer was asked to step inside, follow a set of instructions, and ended up suspending their active senses. In the performance “Spinning Four”, she used four live fans, live vocals and layered video in the same way. All of these are a throwback to a 2006 residency at Delhi’s Khoj Studios. “I was given an empty studio, where all I could hear was the sound of a broken fan,” she said. “It was always evolving, and I am interested in these percussive rhythms.” Saraf recorded the sounds and mixed it live for a six-channel, two-hour performance. The speakers were spread everywhere: in the stairwell, and on both the ground and upper levels of the studio.

This is the first time M+S is showing a suite of works that are primarily sound-based. While we have witnessed the growth of video as a medium, the idea of consuming sonic experiments as art is still a little alien to us. But gallerist Ranjana Steinruecke dismisses that thought. “Surabhi’s practice blurs boundaries. Her sound pieces are sensational. I’m certain that our audiences will be interested in this unfolding narrative.” We’re keeping our eyes and ears open too. Until Thu Feb 28. KaranjeetKaur

2SunnyHouse,16/18MereweatherRoad,behindTajMahalHotel,Colaba(2202-3030).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).RegalCinema.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Gallery MaskaraLAST CHANCE EDITOR’S PICK Glimpse of Thirst Shine Sivan’s work stands out in the Mumbai art aficionado’s memory for being

presumed that they were staging a protest. In reality, the volunteers, an eclectic crew of engineers, scenesters and students, had only responded to an open call by artist Surabhi Saraf for the Fold {Live} project. Mumbaikars may not have participated in such a performance when the San Francisco-based artist’s

debut exhibition opened at Galerie Mirchandani+Steinruecke,

but we can witness the video documentation of the no-frills choreography. The video may almost immediately be reminiscent of the spate of last year’s flash mobs, sparked off by

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus’ real-life “Jai Ho!”

moment. But where the flash mobs were loud, gregarious and participatory, the economy and sparseness of Fold {Live} is hypnotising. It’s a descriptor often applied to the 29-year-old artist’s works, including her sonic experi-ments in “Oscillations”, “Peel” and the album Illuminen, all of which are part of the M+S show. Saraf draws on her training in Hindustani classical music during her growing-up years in Indore, and uses recorded sounds, such as those of dysfunctional fans, to create immersive soundscapes. “The underlying thread in all my works is musicality,” she told TimeOut. “Even in “Peel” which is primarily a video and the performances of Fold {Live}.”

Saraf did use music to anchor Fold {Live} though – all the rehearsals for the performances were set to beats. The series grew out of an impulse to work with people, an “escape from technology” (Saraf majored in art and technology at the Art Institute of Chicago, after her graduation in painting from the MS University in Vadodara.) “I had also been reading Walter Benjamin’s tract on the flâneur, who may take his pet turtle out for a stroll,” she said. Fold {Live} however, is as much an act of manipulated flâneuring on the part of the artist, as unlearning on the part of her crew.

A video installation in 2010 predated and occasioned the performances. In

Exhibitions

Fan girl Catch Surabhi Saraf’s audio works and videos

WEFTONESMonika Correa produces tapestries with a three-

dimensional visual effect, by nixing the use of a reed

that holds the threads in place.

Art


explicit, yet thought-provoking. In the hypocritical morality that has recently underlined the city’s social structure, Sivan’s in-your-face exploration of his sexual identity has been known to overwhelm his viewers with a sense of shock and wonder, yet has managed to keep offence at bay. His work “queers” masculinity, invoking fresh imagery of feminised manliness through interpretations of his own experiences: his 2009 single-channel video, “Sperm Weaver” had Sivan roll about in frothy liquid, reminiscent of a number of similar images of Bollywood actresses in the throes of passion.

In GlimpseofThirst, Shine furthers his artistic and theoretical constructs of exploring homoerotic masculinity with an all-out experiment in fabric. Inspired by designers such as Dolce & Gabbana and Alexander McQueen, Sivan creates sculptural dresses from fabric and found and collected objects, modelled after Aboriginal art, voodoo, the South Indian temple culture and its rituals as well as architectural and design elements from the Mughal period. This multiplicity of references creates a map into Sivan’s mind, turning the viewer into the puppeteer who found the doorway into Malkovich’s head. In some ways, Sivan allows you to live out your desires and fantasies and fears, through his own, by presenting them in an experiential hyperbole.

In this collection of 18-20 hand-tailored “dresses”, we see Sivan’s work mature along with his own considerations of the homoerotic male. He considers, of course, sexual desire and partnership, but he also weighs in on views of family and parenthood. Sivan, whose close relationship with his parents, especially his mother, often makes an appearance in his work – for instance, he used his mother’s hair in the installation “Used Dicks” (2010), where he replicated nests of the Baya weaver birds, built by the male of the species. Sivan attributes a lot of this body of work to his mother, who he is extremely close to. “My mother has been very important to my creative process,” he told TimeOut in an interview. “She has been incredibly supportive of my choices, and my work both mentally and physically,” and he even lends her the title of the co-creator. This intimacy with his parents crosses over into his contemplation of homoerotic relationships beyond the romantic or sexual, and towards a more mature implication of family and settlement.

Clearly, in this body, Sivan is thinking of progeny, but not in the most traditional sense of the word. For instance, one of the dresses shows the visual of a man holding what Sivan terms a “dream-baby”, a child with an adult’s head. The work is suggestive of various emotions the artist sees himself dealing with, as a homosexual man looking at the idea of parenthood – not just fatherhood, but also motherhood – through a Freudian construct. This exploration

is furthered by the mango seeds stitched on another dress, referring to the mythic fertility powers of the mango (Kamadev’s most potent missile holds a mango blossom; the impotent Dashrath impregnates Kaushalya by feeding her mangoes.) The resulting image certainly invokes stronger feelings than Katrina Kaif’s tryst with the fruit in a TV commercial.

Sivan also explores the effects of an intimate and yet highly violent

relationship, hoping to normalise prevalent archaic views of

BDSM as the refuge of the perverted and the psychopathic. The well-read and forward-thinking will concur it is not, but Sivan speaks of it with reference to his own experience. He

explicitly puts forth a Gothic corner in the world he

felt compelled to explore in his own interactions, only to have found the joy and liberation that is also at the heart of a BDSM relationship. He further questions the long-term acceptance of relationships without the feminine presence, and considers the ways in which this absence is dealt with, by questioning normative roles in relationships, as being homosexual, female, male, or simply human. Yet another dress sports a fountain of hair that holds a number of bottles with figures compressed in them, suggesting the multiple sexual and asexual beings that live in our heads, their multiple tongues offering up a multiplicity of being.

The prospect of being witness to Sivan’s maturity of thought and work is tremendously exciting, as he is a young and highly expressive queer voice in a society that is slowly opening up to everything that is different and queer. Until Thu Feb 28. PhalguniDesai

Warehouse,6/73rdPastaLane,Colaba(2202-3056).GChurchgate

(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).ColabaMarket.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

The Guild Anatomy of Silence An exhibition by Rakhi Peswani, who employs “fibre, fabric, literature and spatial languages” in the current body of work. Ongoing.

KamalMansion,02/32SecondFloor,ArthurBunderRoad,Colaba(2288-0116).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).RadioClub.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Jehangir Art GalleryExhibition Gallery 1, 2 and 3Transcending Eternity An exhibition of paintings, sculptures and “Sculpturepaintings” by Satish Gupta. Until Mon Feb 18.

Auditorium HallGroup show Paintings by Jitendra Suralkar, Rajenndra Baviskar and Vikas Malhar. Until Mon Feb 18.

Exhibition Gallery 1Solo show Sculptures by Rohan Sonavane. Until Mon Feb 25.

Exhibition Gallery 2 Solo show Paintings by Anand Panchal. Until Mon Feb 25.

Exhibition Gallery 3Solo show Paintings by Rajendra Anandrao Patil. Until Mon Feb 25.

Hirji Jehangir Gallery Group show Paintings by Shipra Dattagupta and photographs by Mala Mukherjee. Until Tue Feb 19.

Solo show Paintings by Santosh Chattopadhyay. Until Tue Feb 26.

Terrace Art Gallery Solo show Paintings by Jagannath Mahim Paul. Thu Feb 21-Web Feb 27.

Group show Paintings by Vishal Bhende, Jehangir Sorabjee, Arun Kumar and Vishwanath Mishra. Until Wed Feb 20. MahatmaGandhiRoad,oppositeElphinstoneCollege,KalaGhoda,Colaba(2284-3989).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).

ElphinstoneCollege.Daily11am-7pm.

Mumbai Art RoomSarai Reader 09: A Satellite: Gurgaon Glossaries A trio of Mumbai based architects and urbanists Rupali Gupte, Prasad Khanolkar and Prasad Shetty have come together to process the new terms related to the upcoming city Gurgaon. The exhibit will include text and image installations spread across the gallery along with discussions with the artists on topics such as urbanism and narrative as a method. From Fri Feb 15.

PipewalaBuilding,nearNavyChildrenSchool,FourthPastaLane,Colaba(97699-50136).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).ColabaMarket.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Project 88EDITOR’S PICK Metropolyptical: A Tale of a City An exhibition of miniature paintings and framed tapestries by Pakistani artist Risham Syed. Ongoing.

BMPBuilding,NASawantMarg,nearColabaFireStation,Colaba(2281-0066).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour)ColabaFireStation.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Volte GalleryEDITOR’S PICK Poems I Used to Know An exhibition of sculptures, drawings, film installations, film flipbooks and prints by South African artist, William Kentridge. Ongoing. See Review on page 58.

KamalMansion,02/19FirstFloor,ArthurBunderRoad,Colaba(2204-1220).GChurchgate(WR),CST(CRMain&Harbour).RadioClub.Tue-Sat11am-7pm.

Malabar Hill-ParelGallery Art & Soul Solo show An exhibition of porcelain art by Portuguese artist Manoel Filipe Pereira. Until Fri Feb 15.

Transcending Eternity An exhibition of paintings, sculptures and “Sculpturepaintings” by Satish Gupta. From Tue Feb 19.

1Madhuli,AnnieBesantRoad,ShivsagarEstate,Worli(3253-6266).GMahalaxmi(WR).NehruCentre.Mon-Sat11am-7pm.

Bhau Daji Lad MuseumKamalnayan Bajaj Special Exhibition Gallery

LAST CHANCE EDITOR’S PICK High Tide for a Blue Moon Ranjani Shettar’s interviewers are fixated with the materials she uses. In “Sun Sneezers Blow Light Bubbles” which was part of Dewdrops and Sunshine exhibited at NGV International in Melbourne in 2011, thready structures that appeared to be bouquets and soap

Critics’ choiceThe three best shows this fortnight

WomantimeArt MusingsNalini Malani continues her engagement with the female in her latest suite of mixed-media works and video installations. Her references are as diverse as Alice in Wonderland and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Ongoing

While Everyone is Away Chatterjee & LalDelhi-based Nityan Unnikrishnan’s mixed-media works on paper recall illustrations from storybooks. From Fri Feb 15

Poems I Used to Know Volte GallerySouth African artist William Kentridge was in the country recently to speak at the Jaipur Literature Festival and to give away the Škoda Prize. Ongoing

QUEER EYEShine Sivan’s exhibits

at Gallery Maskara include disturbing

constructed dresses, installations and

a video.

Art


bubbles, floated in mid-air. The sculpture was unequivocally beautiful, but, if such a thing was possible, the shadows it threw on the walls were even lovelier. The sculpture’s gossamer quality came sharply into focus when you learnt that it was fashioned out of solid steel, with a special appearance by muslin cloth.

It’s a game Shettar often plays – challenging herself with the materials she employs, and gambolling with the viewer’s comprehension. Her ingredients have ranged from traditional concoctions like tamarind kernel paste and kasimi to rigid stuff like rosewood and steel. In a critique of Shettar’s exhibition PresentContinuous, in the July-August 2011 issue of ArtAsiaPacific, curator Deeksha Nath spoke about her tendency of “…subverting and forcing the material to acquire a property alien to its essence.” At the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, where Shettar has just returned from a stint at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, ten sturdy yet fine sculptures will similarly be coaxed into submission at HighTideforaBlueMoon.

Shettar’s exhibition, like past shows at the museum, will also speak to the museum’s collection – but the connections in Shettar’s exhibition are slightly tenuous. For instance, one of the exhibits at HighTide… is Varsha, the artist book that MoMA produced. The cover of the book, which includes an essay by author Anita Desai, is rendered in bidri style, a metal inlay technique in stone and wood from Karnataka. The 16 prints in the book take their titles from an equal number of nakshatras: “Ashwini” is a solar etching and laser cut, “Bharani” is a solar etching, silkscreen, and laser cut, while “Mrigashira” is a woodcut and laser cut.

Varsha isn’t the first time Shettar has focused on a natural phenomenon. In a 2011 interview with the American luxury magazine RobbReport, Shettar had said, “Sunshine plays a critical role in my work as it is a life nurturing element. All my works are inspired by nature.” Clearly, the artist extends that engagement to her mediums as well. The eponymous sculpture of the present exhibition, for instance, is a complex, floor-mounted grid made from dried coffee stem – offset by the striking blue automobile paint it is rendered in. The sculpture is a throwback to her childhood: Shettar, whose mother is from Coorg, grew up seeing the coffee plant being used decoratively.

In the wall- and ceiling-mounted “Scent of a Sound”, Shettar evokes the experience of walking through a forest. The sculpture is sparse, but immersive at the same time; it is fashioned from stainless steel, muslin, lacquer and tamarind kernel powder paste. As a student at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Shettar felt constrained by the pedestal-mounted wood or stone-carved pieces that the training demanded. She started using fabric and rope, and gradually moved towards sculptures that could float and be suspended in the air. “Now I dig into my memory, growing up in little places, and the way people

around us worked with such materials,” she said.

With her suspended sculptures, interviewers are quick to draw connections with Shettar’s father, an engineer, who’d guide her during her student days on the mechanical dynamics of a piece. “He appreciates what I do, but he doesn’t always get what I do,” said Shettar. “But when I was a student and working in his garage, he’d tell me straight out, ‘This is not going to work.’” Almost a decade later, no one, not even her father, will be able to tell her that about her work. Until Sun Feb 17. KaranjeetKaur

SPS ILAST CHANCE Labyrinths Anita Dube’s works are inspired by Fanz Kafka’s novels and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini’s poem “The Poetry of the Tradition”. The suite serves as a “wake-up call to a generation trapped within the ‘labyrinth’ of bureaucracy and consumerism, warning us of lessons unlearned from Hiroshima, spelling out ‘kaal’ or the end of time”. Until Fri Feb 15.

VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.

Blue FrogEasy Buy An exhibition of “affordable” prints and sculptures by over 50 artists. Prices start at `2,000. Until Sun Feb 17.

NewMahalaxmiMillsCompound,oppositeEmpireMills,SenapatiBapatMarg,LowerParel(4033-2300).GLowerParel(WR).KamalaMills.Daily11am-6pm.

India Fine Art GallerySolo show An exhibition by Akbar Padamsee. The exhibits include oils on canvas and lithographs. Ongoing.

FilmCentreBuilding,ThirdFloor,68TardeoRoad(2352-0438).GMahalaxmi(WR),FilmCentre.Daily11am-7pm.

Nehru CentreAC GallerySolo show An exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Vasudevan Kamath. Until Mon Feb 18.

Solo show An exhibition of paintings by Vijay Nyalpelly. Tue Feb 19-Mon Feb 25.

Solo show An exhibition of paintings by Yashwant Shirwadkar. From Tue Feb 26.

Circular GallerySolo show Paintings by Rukshana Hooda. Until Mon Feb 18.

Solo show An exhibition of paintings by Amar Shankardas. From Tue Feb 26.

AnnieBesantRoad,Worli(2496-4676).GMahalaxmi(WR).PoonamChambers.Mon-Sat11am-7pm.

PhotographyBhau Daji Lad MuseumSPS IILAST CHANCE EDITOR’S PICK The Lost Museum: The Fate of World’s Greatest Lost Treasures Photographer Shaurya Kumar’s fuzzy pictures reveal the fate of world heritage structures that have been violated twice-over: once, through military action that seeks to strike at

the heart of a culture’s legacy, and later, through the failure of archiving. Until Fri Feb 15.

VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.

EventsFri Feb 15Arts management workshop A course designed for emerging and mid-level professionals in the field of arts management. Until Sat Feb 16.

KitabMahal,192DNRoad,Fort(2207-1771).GCST(CRMain&Harbour).NewExcelsior.Fees 10,000.

Sat Feb 16Lecture A talk on “Sources and Development of Tagore Paintings” by painter and critic Ratan Parimoo.

BhauDajiLadMuseum,VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.6-8pm.

Sun Feb 17Art walk A walkthrough Rajani Shettar’s latest exhibition HighTideforaBlueMoon. To register, contact Alisha Sadikot at [email protected]. See Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Malabar Hill-Parel.

BhauDajiLadMuseum,VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.11am.

Sat Feb 23Lecture “Jain Monumental Painting” by Shridhar Andhare will focus on the art of Jain pata paintings.

BhauDajiLadMuseum,VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.6-8pm.

Tue Feb 26Public Lecture Beth Citron, assistant curator at the Rubin Museum of Art, will speak on “Modernist Art from India”. The talk focuses on landscape painting as a medium for artists to decipher the vastness of India.

VeermataJijabaiBhonsleUdyan(BycullaZoo),AmbedkarRoad,Byculla(E)(6556-0394).GByculla(CRMain).JijamataUdyan.Thur-Tue10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets 10forIndiansand 100forforeigners,availableuntil5pm.6-8pm.

Head honcho Satish Gupta’s sculptures all this month at the Jehangir and later at Gallery Art & Soul


It happened not that long ago, and not that far away. But the story at the heart of The

Second Homeland throws up numerous surprises.

The first of these is the fact that India was home to hundreds of Polish orphans during World War II. The second is that, contrary to preconceived notions, the children who arrived in India were not Jewish but largely Roman Catholics. But, most startling is how completely this episode has vanished from collective memory.

In The Second Homeland, journalist Anuradha Bhattacharjee relates the story of the two camps – Balachadi near Jamnagar and Valivade near Kolhapur – that served as safe havens for orphans and families from Poland. For almost a decade, she sifted through archival material, posted questions on the Internet, pored over tomes and traced old men and women in Poland, who had spent a part of their childhood eating daal and rice, swimming in the Arabian Sea and swotting over science in the Kathiawari summer.

Gradually, Bhattacharjee pieced

together a remarkable tale. It appears that while officials of every stripe were quibbling about the future of the emaciated children streaming out of the USSR, it was the ruler of an Indian princely state who cut through the official indifference. When Jam Saheb Digvijaysingh of Nawanagar heard about the plight of these children, he immediately offered them a home. He fulfilled his promise by building a camp near his summer resort in Balachadi – and virtually compelling the British to cooper-ate. “Do not consider yourself orphans. You are now Nawanagaris and I am Bapu, father to all Nawanagaris, including you,” he told the children when they arrived at their alien new home. A welcome that many a septuagenarian in distant Warsaw or Quebec fondly recalls even today.

After all, these were children who had lost comfortable homes and families and virtually slipped though the cracks of history. “It was the unanswered questions that gripped me,” said Bhattacharjee, explaining why this story, of all those she has

written in her career, grabbed her imagination so firmly. “Nothing that I was hearing fit in with the matrix of knowledge that we have.”

Bhattacharjee first encountered one tentacle of this sprawling saga as a bright-eyed journalist in Pune in 1992. She interviewed a woman who, she was told, had “survived the Holocaust”. It transpired that Zofia Mendonca was a Roman Catholic from Poland who, over a three-hour-long meeting, narrated a story that became “curiouser and curiouser”. She spoke about the terrible events that occurred in Poland after Soviet forces marched into the Kresy region in 1939. The entire civilian population was forced into cattle trains that transported them to Siberia and Kazakhstan where they were forced to work relentlessly. Bhattacharjee wrote up the interview, but her sub-editor sneered that it was utterly far-fetched – and the article was spiked.

Ten years later, Bhattacharjee was in another city in another job under a different editor when she exhumed her article. Hiranmay Karlekar of The Pioneer in New Delhi was fascinated when he heard about Zofia Mendonca—especially because he had once met a Polish woman who had lived in a camp in India in the early ’40s.

Around this time, Bhattacharjee and her husband visited the US, where she spent a day in the Holocaust Memorial Museum seeking details about Russian atrocities towards Poland during WWII. All she managed to unearth, however, was a skimpy pamphlet. As for the rest, she was told, “the records have never been opened”. Undaunted she convinced a Polish Army officer, who knew her husband, to call his family. “Through him I got meagre substantiation,” she says.

Back in India, the story of Zofia Mendonca finally appeared in print – and Bhattacharjee started getting interesting feedback from around the world. Slowly a blurry picture was emerging of what Bhattacharjee describes as “one of the greatest unrecognized human rights violation of our times”. And Bhattacharjee began to understand the enormous tragedy of the Polish people who were used as cheap labour in the

collective camps of the USSR. “The treatment of the Poles by the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1941 is still unfamiliar to many people,” she writes. “At the time, news of what was going on barely reached the West, and later in the War, when Britain and the United States became allies of the USSR, discussion of the episode was discouraged as tactless.”

In 1941, the Russian and Polish authorities reached an agreement and suddenly the Polish “prisoners” were free to leave. The men enrolled in the quickly-cobbled-together Polish army, and the women and children began to make the long, and deadly trek to freedom. But was it these refugees who made their way to India?

Bhattacharjee stumbled upon confirmation in the Oxford Companion to the Second World War, where she came upon an invaluable clue: “The Polish army covered itself in glory while the families found safe haven in India.” “I latched onto that half sentence and slowly, document by document, put things together,” said Bhattacharjee. “Of the 1,15,000 people evacuated from the USSR, almost 20,000 spent some time in India. Around 650 orphans stayed at Balachadi, while 5,000 refugees spent time in the Kolhapur Camp.”

Finding these facts and figures involved innumerable visit to the archives, government departments and embassies

where Bhattacharjee pored over stacks of tedious documents. Unfortunately for the casual reader, these have found their way into the book and, along with endless names and statistics, threaten to bury the human story.

Luckily, however, the first-person accounts, especially the vivid chronicle of Franek Herzog who watched his mother die of cold and hunger in Russia, before spending years at Balachadi and Valivade, bring life and colour to the book. The combination of those moving memories and Bhattacharjee’s remarkable research reveal a fascinating chapter of WWII history.

Nothing that I was hearing fit in with the matrix of

knowledge that we have

Innocence lost Polish children on arrival in India

The Second Homeland: Polish Refugees in India Anuraddha Bhattacharjee, Sage, 895.

Books

A royal welcomeA book on Polish refugees in India brings to light a little-known slice of World War II history, finds Shabnam Minwalla.

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Books


Don’t attract attention, don’t get yourself raped. Do get married and definitely make babies. In the face of all these patriarchal rules, we

want justice and it’s pretty much a given that we want it now. Feminist scholar and activist Nivedita Menon wouldn’t necessarily dismiss the sentiment, but her new book, written for a non-academic audience, is something of a reality check in the midst of all the calls for treating the so-called fairer sex more squarely.

There’s a recognition running through Seeing like a Feminist that the fruits of true justice take their own sweet time to grow out of the bitter earth of oppression. Menon, who is a professor of political thought at JNU, told us

there was “no urgency at all” in writing the book. She added that while its appearance in the wake of heightened awareness of gender violence “happens to look like it’s come out at a particular time when its relevance seems very great… [the book] distils everything I’ve been writing for 15 years.”

If that makes it sound like Seeing like a Feminist is a musty, fusty fatalistic bout of shoulder-shrugging, absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. Menon cuts through layers of legal debate, social norms of marriage and motherhood and economic questions of property and capital, employing a feminist version of X-ray vision that cuts right through the constructions of sex and gender in India and abroad. In language that is incisive, readable, reasoned and yet impassioned, Menon argues for action that

“destabilises” conventions rather than seeking “resolution” to conflict. “Destabilising is sometimes through self-conscious political movement,” conceded Menon, “but I think overall it is a transformation of the ground level of common sense. And that happens definitively but also almost imperceptibly.” So while the Delhi protests were not “really about destabilisation [but] a very quintessential democratic civil disobedience,” Menon argues that real change in society comes from “the kinds of ways queer people live; women and men who don’t choose to marry, or marry and do different kinds of things with that marriage; when workers organise; domestic servants organise.”

Taking in issues related to family, the body, desire, sexual violence, questions of gender and agency versus victimhood, Menon handily

demonstrates how conventional appeals to the law are often less successful than destabilising actions and economic or social empowerment. “I see feminist politics as subversive and the law is really about order,” Menon said. Calling herself an “extreme critic of turning to the law”, she alluded to the controversial anti-rape ordinance, pointing out that “Every time a law is formulated out of a movement, it is inevitably a distortion of the feminist ethics.” Our views on equality are often warped by our basic perceptions of reality. Seeing like a Feminist goes a long way in correcting this vision.

Seeing like a Feminist Zubaan Books, 299. Read an interview with Menon at www.timeoutmumbai.net.

Her eyes onlyIn Seeing like a Feminist, Nivedita Menon sets her sights on a broader audience, finds Sonal Shah.

Reviews

Hachette 350

“I bet you’re thinking that I’m taking advantage of the one hundred and twenty fifth anniversary of the birth of Premchand, the King of Hindi

Fiction, to spin you some hundred-and-twenty-five-year-old story, dressed up as a tale of today,” writes Uday Prakash, in one of his stinging authorial asides, “But the truth is that the account I am

putting before you, in its old and backward style… is a tale of a time right after 9/11, in the aftermath of the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York; a time when two sovereign Asian nations were reduced to ash and rubble.”

The truth – whether in that particular story, “Mohandas”, of a low-caste villager thwarted at every step by corruption, or in the two other tales in The Walls of Delhi – is Prakash’s primary obsession. In his title story (the collection is translated by Jason Grunebaum) he charts

the changing fortunes of a sweeper who discovers a stash of dirty money in a Saket gym. In “Mohandas”, he destroys any illusion of the modern Indian village as a Gandhian idyll, and “Mangosil” is the story of a family in Jahangirpuri struggling to break into middle class life while coping with a son’s mysterious medical condition. Prakash delicately paints these grey worlds, where power triumphs and corruption festers, then exposes the truth as black and white with moving results. Yet these stories aren’t

uniformly dreary; as he writes, “Don’t you think that amid all the pain and sorrow and bleak colours of this story, little drops of joy have been interspersed?” These tempering moments of hope, which are constantly smothered, throw the harshness into relief.

Grunebaum captures Prakash’s satirical, darkly funny, conversational style, the book could have benefitted from stronger proofreading (a few mis-transliterations jar), The Walls of Delhi is a highly recommended contemporary Hindi collection. SS

The Walls of Delhi Uday Prakash

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Admission for readings and other events is free unless otherwise stated. G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Gauri Vij. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publication, appearing on the stands every oth-er Thursday. Deadline for infor-mation is ten days before publi-cation. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Poetry & readingsThur Feb 21Book release 6pm Architectural historian Christopher London’s Bombay Gothic will be re-released this fortnight. London will make a slide presentation from his book, which will be followed by a discussion with architect Abha Narain Lambah and journalist Siddharth Bhatia.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2284-4484). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum.

Sat Feb 23EDITOR’S PICK Literary evening 6.30pm

Author Kiran Nagarkar – belongs to that endangered species called the bilingual author. Nagarkar was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit by the German government in November 2012 for enriching the cultural ties between Germany and India. To celebrate this association, Max Mueller is organising a literary evening that will be a retrospective of Nagarkar’s past works.

Galerie Max Mueller, K Dubash Marg, behind Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2284-4484). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum.

Thur Feb 28Book release 6pm Avid Learning in association with Penguin India, Bungalow Eight and Time Out India presents the launch of Amit Chaudhuri’s Calcutta: Two Years in the City.

Bungalow Eight, Grants Building, 17 Arthur Bunder Road, near Radio Club, Colaba (2281-9880). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Colaba Depot.

Acharya Parvatikumar was 94 when he passed away in November 2012. With

his death came a resurgence of interest in his life and work. Born Gajanan Kambli, the son of a mill worker, this Mumbai-based bharatanatyam dancer and teacher worked in cinema, theatre and dance – leaving to his students a rich body of research on dance compositions and texts that he articulated as performance. This fortnight, his senior student, Sanddhya Pureccha, pays tribute to him through an evening of performance and reminiscences. “My guru always read between the lines as he choreographed. He was committed to articulating dance theory through practice and we are only trying to further his work,” Pureccha said in a telephone interview to Time Out.

In keeping with this commitment, Pureccha will present her production Arthasringara, drawing from her research on Kumbha Raja’s kalasa karanas, a set of dance movements inspired by nature. In Arthasringara, the movements of various birds and animals are woven into the poetry of Kalidasa’s Ritusamhara.

The story of Parvatikumar’s life is a palimpsest of memories preserved by his students. Growing up, he would try to imitate the people around him; performance seemed the most natural means of expression. He studied bharatanatyam from Chandrasekhar Pillai and also trained in kathak and kathakali. In the ’40s, influenced by the style of Uday Shankar, Parvatikumar created many dance ballets, including one based on Jawaharlal Nehru’s book, The Discovery of India. He choreographed for the play Durga Zali Gauri, deploying narrative devices from dance in theatre. The play completed 30 years in 2012.

One of Parvatikumar’s landmark contributions to bharatanatyam was his extensive work on the Marathi compositions penned by rulers from the Bhosale dynasty in Thanjavur (Tanjore). There were set repertoires called nirupanas which told one story in a single raga and tala, broken up into several dance compositions. “He kept trying to challenge himself. Here, he had to keep the

choreography refreshing so that the audience would stay riveted, even though the entire evening’s compositions told a single story within the same musical structure,” recounted his student, educationist Jeroo Mulla.

Parvatikumar’s Pune-based disciple, Sucheta Bhide-Chapekar, conducted further research on Marathi dance compositions from the Tanjore court. These compositions were

very much in the vein of dance poetry in other languages. Bhide-Chapekar described a specific composition, pointing out that Parvatikumar focused on nuances of language

and human behaviour. Bhide-Chapekar explained, “An older friend accompanies a new bride to her marital home. She gives her advice on how to behave and win the heart of her beloved. She explains that she should not shy away from her husband because she does not know the art of love. These compositions drew heavily on his own understanding of how people behaved and reacted to various situations. They are so

Dance

The story of Parvatikumar’s

life is a palimpsest of

memories

Enduring legacyPioneering dance exponent Acharya Parvatikumar passed away last year, but the fruits of his research linger on, assesses Ranjana Dave.

Bharatanatyam’s best Acharya Parvatikumar

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Dance


This festival is a celebration by Bharata College of Fine Arts and Culture, a pioneering college of Indian classical dance. The two-hour programme begins with performances by the professors of bharatanatyam, Sanddhya V Pureccha, Rajenthiran Naidu, Gayatri Subramanian and Sujatha Nair. This is followed by kathak performances by Professor Chetan Saraiya and his students. Finally, students of all the degrees offered perform their complete repertoire as part of their cultural curriculum.

Mini Auditorium/Ravindra Natya Mandir, PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Sayani Road, near Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi (2431-2956). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Siddhivinayak Mandir.

Thur Feb 28FREE Pancham Festival This annual festival, co-sponsored by the Indian government, takes place at four temples in the city to revive age-old traditions of classical dance performances in temples. There will be bharatanatyam performances by students of Sanddhya V Pureccha and Asha Joglekar, kathak performances by disciples of Chetan Saraiya and Odissi by Asha Nambiar’s disciples.

Siddhivinayak Temple, SK Bole Marg, Prabhadevi (2437-3626), 10am. Sunkersett Shiva Temple, Opp. Bhaji Galli, Nana Chowk, 12pm. Gokuldham Temple, Krishna Vatika Devasthan, Gokuldham, Film City Road, Goregaon (E) (2849-6537), 4.30pm. Saidham Temple, Plot No 712, Thakur Complex, Western Express Highway, Kandivali (E) (2854-7724), 6.30pm.

WorkshopsTue Feb 19-Thur Feb 21Belly Dance Learn the art of belly dancing from Ritu Jain, a guest teacher at Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts. Admission is open for all classes.

1-5, ground floor, Silver Cascade Building, SB Marg, Dadar (W). For information on the timings and fee,

Critics’ choiceThe two best events this fortnight

Horizon Series performanceYB Chavan CentrePrachi Saathi tells the story of Lord Kartikeya, through an evening of old bharatanatyam choreography by TK Mahalingam Pillai. Fri Feb 15

Sanddhya V Pureccha Ravindra Natya MandirBharatanatyam professor Sanddhya V Pureccha honours her guru with a bharatanatyam performance based on Kalasa Karanas. Wed Feb 27

visit www.sumeetnagdevdancearts.in or call (2436-6777/6/1).

Mon Feb 25Modern Contemporary, Street Jazz and Hip Hop

The skilled faculty at Sumeet Nagdev Dance Arts will teach modern contemporary, street jazz and hip hop.The workshop will conclude with an informal presentation by the students. It is open to all age groups and levels. Ongoing.

1-5, ground floor, Silver Cascade Building, SB Marg, Dadar (W). For information on the timings and fee, visit www.sumeetnagdevdancearts.in or call (2436-6777/6/1).

CoursesArts in Motion The Sion institute makes space for music, theatre and fitness in its studio, but dance still tops the agenda here. Aanchal Gupta, its enterprising founder and director, has expanded the studio space and hosts talented instructors to teach emerging and established forms. Dance enthusiasts can head to Sion and learn a variety of styles such as b-boying and b-girling, popping and locking, belly dancing, Bollywood dance, hip hop and jazz, modern dance, kathak and contemporary fusion, salsa and rock ’n’ roll. TV Chidambaran Marg, opposite Peninsula Hotel, Sion (E). For details, call 98201-83231

Roc Fresh Learn the nifty and acrobatic moves from b-boy Simon, one of the senior members of the b-boying crew, which swept UD Kombat’s b-boying gala The Culture in December 2012. Sat-Sun, 3.30 to 5pm. K-9 Studio, MHADA Society 7, Ganesh Mandir Lane, Four Bungalows, Andheri (W). For details, call 82911-52293/ 91677-76898

Twins Dance Art Studio Dancers Sweta and Shraddha Doshi, former members of the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company, run this institute in Ghatkopar (E). The roster includes styles such as contemporary dance, jazz, hip hop and Bollywood salsa. For details, call 90298-74525.-

Listings are organised by type of event and then by date. These list-ings were accurate at the time of going to print but please call the organiser or venue to confirm the details in case of changes. * denotes a recommended event.G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Ayesha Venkataraman. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fort-nightly publication, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Events ShowsFri Feb 15EDITOR’S PICK FREE Bharatanatyam 7.30pm

Acclaimed bharatanatyam dancer, Prachi Saathi performs a solo recital which describes the greatness of Kartikeya, son of Shiva. There will be three nayikas to express three different stages of his life performed using traditional choreography and formats of old bharatanatyam.

Rangaswar Auditorium, Chavan Centre, General Jagannath Bhosle Marg, Churchgate (2204-7252). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Mantralaya.

Wed Feb 27 EDITOR’S PICK FREE Bharatanatyam 10pm

As a tribute to legendary maestro of bharatanatyam, Guru Acharya Parvatikumar, his senior disciple Sanddhya V Pureccha performs a dance ballet based on Kalasa Karanas from her book Theory & Practice of Kalasa Karanas & Sthanaka Mandala Bheda from Kumbha Raja’s Nritya Ratna Kosha, as well as Kalidasa’s lyrical poetry, Rutusamhara.

Mini Auditorium/Ravindra Natya Mandir, PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Sayani Road, near Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi (2431-2956). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Siddhivinayak Mandir.

FestivalsTue Feb 19FREE Gati Festival 6.30pm

contemporary; I have continued to teach and perform them over 40 years and they still feel novel.”

The Abhinaya Darpana, written around the second century AD, is a Sanskrit text on the fundamentals of dance, attributed to Nandikeswara. Parvatikumar choreographed all its verses in bharatanatyam, creating a dance that was useful both as pedagogy and performance. “Ever since he began studying classical dance, he was anxious to understand how it was codified. He taught himself Sanskrit and read the Abhinaya Darpana. When he was sure that this was the key text of bharatanatyam, he decided to give the verses an audio-visual form through performance,” said Pureccha.

Mulla spoke of his meticulous choreographic process. She said, “He worked within the traditional mould but remained extremely innovative. In the first verse of the Abhinaya Darpana, the author distils the essence of the book by naming the four types of abhinaya as they are manifested through the body of Shiva. Angikam also indicates the body of Shiva. Through hand gestures, Acharya Parvatikumar showed the division of the dancer’s body into six components. He would get into the essence of every single word in the text and find multiple meanings and references for it. Thus, there were several layers associated with each line of text.”

His students are vocal about the lessons he taught them in life and dance. He was a strict disciplinarian, and simultaneously very open-minded. In the ’70s, after 12 years of teaching Bhide-Chapekar, he told her, “I have taught you all that I know. Now you must fly and find new horizons.”

Pureccha is happy that she has been able to fulfil Parvatikumar’s dream of setting up a college of dance. She spent two decades of her life unquestioningly submitting to her guru. “He always knew what I was about to ask him and had an answer ready. I learnt in the guru-shishya tradition. I only went home to sleep and spent the entire day in his house. I trusted him blindly and that was one of the best decisions of my life,” she said.

Sarfojiraje Bhosale Centre presents Shraddhanjali to Acharya Parvatikumar on Wed Feb 27. See Shows in Events.

v9i13_Dance 002.indd 69 2/8/2013 8:49:29 PM

In the one moment of levity in 2012’s sepulchral Talaash, Raj Kumar Yadav’s Devrath Kulkarni

finds himself in the middle of a marital slanging match between Aamir Khan and Rani Mukherji’s characters. That catatonic state, Yadav’s helplessness and discomfort writ large in his body language is sheer bathos – but could well stand in for his feelings about the film itself.

Over the past three years, the Film and Television Institute-honed actor has had stand-out roles rare for a newcomer:

a girlfriend taper in Dibakar Banerjee’s LSD: Love Sex Aur Dhokha (2010), a character he reprised in 2011’s Ragini MMS, followed by the upcoming biopic Shahid. “I couldn’t read the script of Talaash before signing it,” he told us in a freewheeling chat at the Time Out office, along with his Kai Po Che co-stars and director. “My casting director friend sold me the character. The good thing was that I got to work with Aamir Khan.” The new film based on the Chetan Bhagat novel The 3 Mistakes of My Life and helmed by Rock On!!

director Abhishek Kapoor, should do away with any misgivings, however. Yadav plays Govind Patel, one-third of the troika made up by Amit Sadh’s Omi and TV sensation Sushant Singh Rajput’s Ishaan Bhatt.

Of the three, Rajput’s film debut is being watched closely. A recent Zee News report was headlined, “Can Sushant Singh Rajput do a Shah Rukh Khan in Bollywood?” It’s a fair suggestion: like Khan, Rajput’s career has gone along the Delhi University theatre-Barry John Acting Studio-TV serial

trajectory. Rajput earned his spurs playing Manav on the Zee TV soap Pavitra Rishta, but really hit the big league with his loose-limbed appearance on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4, simpering like a schoolgirl.

But for Rajput, like several others before him, this is just en route an unplanned journey that he hopes will include a course in filmmaking. “When I was in [Delhi College of Engineering] I went to Shiamak Davar,” said Rajput. “He took me in, and told me to join Barry John. Then Barry once said, ‘You are good,’ and it is rare of him to say that. I took him seriously and came to Mumbai.”

According to Kapoor, he had never seen Rajput and Sadh’s work before. That might have worked in Sadh’s favour, whose TV career crested with his debut on the teen drama Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr in 2002. Since then, he has gone on to star in Bigg Boss, the last resort of sinecured TV actors; the unfortunate Phoonk 2 and last year’s Maximum, where he had an underwritten role. “A lot went wrong [with Maximum],” Sadh said. “Sometimes it is just destiny and you have to accept that; it was a learning experience for me.” Still, he’s come a long way for a boarding school child, educated at Lucknow’s La Martinière College, who watched his first film (Mani Ratnam’s Bombay) when he was 17. “I was never interested in films; I was a sporty guy,” Sadh said. “I just landed up in Bombay and in six months got a big break. After doing television for a couple of years, I think I started understanding acting. I am grateful to Gattu [Kapoor] sir that he didn’t care where we came from.”

Kapoor may not have cared where they came from, but he’s definitely interested in where they are going – the director was clear that he didn’t want to work with rank newcomers, especially since they were shooting in small-town Ahmedabad. “Why would I?” Kapoor asked. “So much money is going to be spent, talent and technicians are going to come on board, so the actors had better be good and well trained. These three are superb; it’s just that they haven’t got the big opportunity yet.” With inputs from Aniruddha Guha and Yashasvi Vachhani.

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Kai Po Che opens on Fri Feb 22.

Film

High fliersThe Kai Po Che leads have been waiting in the wings, but are now ready to take off, says Karanjeet Kaur.


Abhishek Kapoor made a sophisticated comeback with 2008’s Rock On!! after making his directorial debut with the 2006 Sohail Khan-turkey Aryan. His third, Kai Po Che, appears to be a bromance based on Chetan Bhagat’s reportedly weakest novel (although it’s tough playing favourites with Bhagat’s work.) Kapoor auditioned the three leads together. “The basic physicality determined

the actor,” he told Time Out. “Sushant [Singh Rajput] was a little overweight and Amit [Sadh] was a little skinny then, and we needed to reverse that. Also, these guys had never met before but they were so easy with each other.”

The film is set in Gujarat against the backdrop of the communal carnage of 2000, but at a time when different lobbies are quick to call for bans, Kapoor

is not worried. “The censor board has given us a U certificate. But if some random guy wants to pick up a stone and throw it what can you do?”

Rock steady

Brothers for life (From left) Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and Sushant Singh Rajput

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Film


Any filmmaker who casts his wife and children in central roles is inviting autobiographical readings, though one hopes Judd Apatow’s family life is a little less tumultuous than the one in This Is 40. Billed as a “sort-of sequel” to his Knocked Up, this typically scattered but ambitious comedy from the writer-director-producer plays more like a spin-off, focusing on the supporting characters of that 2007 smash. No more financially or emotionally stable than they

were five years earlier, bickering spouses Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Mrs Apatow herself, Leslie Mann) navigate the rocky terrain of marriage, parenthood and middle age. The kids are once again played by the filmmaker’s own brood (14-year-old Maude and ten-

year-old Iris), who have grown into confident child actors.

As a vision of domestic duress, This Is 40 feels hyperspecific. For all its broad comic bits – Pete faking bowel movements to sneak off for alone time, Debbie confronting a teenage boy who’s

been harassing her daughter – the film demonstrates a shrewd understanding of the cycles of fighting and reconciliation that plague long-term relationships. What Apatow hasn’t outgrown, alas, is his tendency to overstuff every movie with superfluous bit players. (Among a needlessly crowded ensemble, only Albert Brooks – playing Pete’s tactless, freeloading father – provides essential backup.) Nor has the director learned how to stick a landing; the third act, set during a disastrous birthday party, seems both overlong and overly tidy. Still, what lingers are the stormy tête-à-têtes between Rudd and Mann– a couple with whom we’d gladly celebrate the big 4-0. AA DowdOpens on Fri Feb 22.

This Is 40

��

Dir: Judd Apatow. Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Maude Apatow, Iris Apatow, Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, John Lithgow.2 hours 14 mins. :

Reviews

We are family (l-r) Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

“Asli power dil main hoti hai [True power lies in the heart],” Ajay Singh tells 26 young men and women who are hopeful of winning a spot on his team of CBI officers, about to conduct a raid on a popular jewellery store in Opera House, Bombay. The year is 1987. Singh – played by Akshay Kumar, uncharacteristically, without frills – is one of four conmen who regularly conduct raids on corrupt businessmen and politicians in the garb of CBI or Income Tax officers. Our man is a desi version of Danny Ocean, or Frank Abagnale Jr if you please.

Hot on his trail is a Carl Hanratty-like CBI officer, Waseem Khan. Khan’s a hot-headed officer, played splendidly by Manoj Bajpayee (who finally seems to be getting the author-backed roles he deserves), and even though his target – the gang of four – is right in front of his eyes, he won’t arrest them. He makes it clear: thinking up a crime isn’t enough for someone to get arrested, committing one is.

Special 26 is almost entirely built on this very premise – an

impending heist that the law enforcers are entirely aware of, but wait for to happen. Even as Ajay and his team intricately put-together a master plan they know can’t fail, Khan and his men wait – almost want – for them to go ahead with it. It’s a simple thread that writer-director Neeraj Pandey builds on for close to two-and-half hours, holding the cards close to his chest at all times.

Almost entirely through the first half, all Pandey does is build character. A remarkably well put-together opening sequence unfolds leisurely, establishing the expertise of Singh and his men. Khan’s initial scenes – a lengthy chase sequence, for example – do little than introduce you to his attitude as an officer. This is in stark contrast to the post-interval portions, which hurtle along at

breakneck speed, and with a clear aim.

As compared to his first film, A Wednesday, which was to-the-point, without any unwanted distractions and rightly paced, Pandey falls for certain conventional traps in Special 26. A yawn-inducing romantic track and avoidable songs make the experience a little less enjoyable. You wonder if Kumar is to be blamed, given that he’s the misfit in the set-up (which seems to benefit him more, rather than the other way round).

But the few hiccups aside, the movie works primarily due to Pandey’s ability to draw in the viewer with witty writing and interesting character interactions. He recreates the ’80s efficiently, and casts his film with near-precision. Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill, Divya Dutta, Rajesh Sharma and the others play their parts with such sincerity, you inhabit their world easily.

Special 26 demands the viewer to suspend disbelief greatly, especially towards the end, but it does so without ever taking him for granted. Pandey ensures the expectation we pinned on him after A Wednesday isn’t misplaced with a simple mantra: Asli power script main hoti hai (True power lies in the script). Aniruddha Guha Opened on Fri Feb 8

Special 26Dir: Neeraj Pandey. Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Shergill and Kajal Aggarwal.2 hours 23 mins. ;

��

Conmen Anupam Kher (left)and Akshay Kumar

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Film


Silver Linings Playbook

Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is in a bit of a blue funk. It’s not enough that he was confined to a mental institution after catching his wife with another man and nearly beat-ing the guy to death. Now this turbulently bipolar blunderer is emerging from his time away with no job, no house (back to Mom and Dad he goes) and pariah sta-

tus among everyone except the really cute, emotionally disturbed girl next door (Jennifer Lawrence).

Sounds like a recipe for a bad ol’ Indiewood melodrama, right? But the primary pleasure of this black romantic comedy, adapted by writer-director David O Russell from Matthew Quick’s novel, is how jagged-edged everything is, with

a stellar group of actors spouting overlapping, acid-tongued dialogue like their lives depended on it. This shouldn’t be surprising for those familiar with Russell’s singular cinema-of-hysteria: beginning with his incest-farce feature debut Spanking the Monkey (1994), the filmmaker has created a uniquely discomfiting body of work that explores distinctly American neuroses with bracing specificity and frequent hilarity.

In its best scenes, Silver Linings plays like a greatest-hits compilation. Cooper’s baby-faced protagonist has a nerve-jangled family – led by football-obsessed patriarch Robert De Niro – that echoes the too-close-for-comfort Coplin clan from Russell’s Flirting with Disaster (1996). And characters frequently hold forth with pointedly satirical psychobabble that wouldn’t be

out of place in the director’s caus-tic I Y Huckabees (2004). Russell’s dissonant narrative left- turns are also prevalent; what other grey-cloud romance contains both frighteningly realistic familial outbursts and a jokey amateur dance competition? Yet it’s impos-sible to shake the sense that what felt thrillingly, cohesively alive in the director’s earlier movies plays here with more laurel-resting creakiness than go-for-broke verve. Russell’s once-mercurial assets have become a formula. Joshua RothkopfOpens on Fri Feb 22.

��

Dir: David O Russell. Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Lawrence, Jackie Weaver, Anupam Kher. 2 hours 2 mins. :

Sentimental Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

Zero Dark Thirty begins by noting its basis in first-hand accounts, then launches into audio recordings from September 11. Flash forward two years to a CIA black site, where a detainee is being brutalised by an agent. No,Kathryn Bigelow isn’t engaging in false equivalency. She’s setting the stakes: her movie is determined to show us what went on, between the moment the world called for Osama bin Laden’s head and the moment we finally got it. As the lengthy first-act “enhanced interrogations” continue, the less they resemble an amped-up episode of Homeland and the more it becomes clear these images have been missing from our national discourse. The outrage over Abu Ghraib notwithstanding, has the country seriously confronted rendition, dog collaring, forced nudity and other untold horrors?

Op-ed writers – and even John McCain on the Senate floor – have accused Zero Dark Thirty of condoning torture. But Bigelow,

hardly apolitical, makes her point by showing: this is something that happened. It was perpetrated in our names. Here’s what it looks like. And while the film doesn’t explicitly deny torture’s role in finding bin Laden – there’s a suggestion sleep deprivation helped – the human toll remains front and centre. Even during the raid on bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound, the precision of the SEALs’ mission contrasts with the cries of women and children who live there.

The decade-spanning Zero Dark Thirty comes freighted with a historical weight it bears amazingly well. It follows one CIA analyst, Maya, said to be modelled on an unidentified agent who spent years focusing exclusively on bin Laden. Played by Jessica Chastain with a masterful balance of tenacity and restraint, the character is defined only through her obsessive search. Recruited out of high school and apparently present for interrogations just a few years later, she remains an enigma. Asked about her life, she refuses to engage.

Journalist-turned-screenwriter Mark Boal (who also wrote The Hurt Locker) did original, reportedly CIA-aided research, quickly reworking his initial Tora Bora-based scenario after May 1, 2011. With Soderberghian title

cards as orientation, the movie is ingeniously constructed as a procedural. Obama appears only once, as the analysts turn from a meeting to watch a snippet of 60 Minutes.

The Abbottabad raid proves again that Bigelow directs action with a clarity her contemporaries lack. This year hasn’t given us a more riveting or instructive half-hour than the one in which SEALs enter the compound and

wind their way to the third floor. Even when they shoot the “jackpot”, it’s matter-of-fact – just something that happens. (Boal has described the movie as a “hybrid of the filmic and the journalistic”.) Maya gets the final word – note the colours behind her in the closing shot – as her globe-trotting quest concludes and she ponders where to go next. Ben KenigsbergOpens on Fri Feb 15.

Zero Dark Thirty

Agent orange Jessica Chastain

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt, Joel Edgerton, James Gandolfini, Jennifer Ehle, Mark Strong, Kyle Chandler, Édgar Ramírez.2 hours 37 mins. :

��

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ABCD Any Body Can DanceDir: Remo D’Souza. Cast: Kay Kay Menon, Prabhudeva, Salman Yusuf Khan, Lauren Gottlieb, Prince Gupta, Dharmesh Yelande, Ganesh Acharya.

2 hours, 25 minutes Synopsis: A group of dancers go from vying for the winning prize at the Ganapati Dance Battle to becoming the best dance troupe in India under the tutelage of Vishnu (Prabhudeva).

Opened on Fri Feb 8.

DavidDir: Bejoy Nambiar. Cast: Vikram, Tabu, Isha Sharvani, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Lara Dutta, Vinay Virmani.

2 hours, 36 mins. ;[[ [[

David, Bejoy Nambiar’s second film, uses an interesting plot device – narrating three distinct stories in different time zones, the only apparent connection between them being the name of the main protagonist: David. In 1975, a London-based gangster is faced with the dilemma of going up against his mentor and father-figure, the dreaded Ghani. In 1999, a young musician in Mumbai is trying to deal with his father, a priest, getting dragged into a politically-motivated communal spat. The 2010 story is the most different in tone and theme among the three – a 40-year-old alcoholic fisherman in Goa is on the lookout for true love.

David is an arduous watch, and that’s largely due to the inability of the three stories to hold your attention for too long, individually and together. The thing that bothers you most while watching the film is that just when you get intermittently involved, the focus shifts. Towards the end, you hope for the film to tie up together neatly, but the finale is a let-down. Which is a pity, given that David had the potential to be three great films in one. Instead, it ends up being only half of what it promised. Aniruddha Guha


HitchcockDir: Sacha Gervasi. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Toni Collette, Danny Huston, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy, Michael Wincott.

1 hour, 38 minutes ; [[[[[ You don’t need to be a professional headshrinker to see that Alfred Hitchcock had lady issues. Yet the director’s work was, and remains, so fascinatingly knotty that his many kinky obsessions (placing women in harm’s way was simply one predilection of many) can never be pinned down with any kind of pop-psych certainty.

That doesn’t stop the makers of this flimsy, jokey biopic – in which Hitch (a corpulently latexed Anthony Hopkins) prepares to direct the seminal horror film Psycho (1960) – from trying to ludicrously explain away their subject’s numerous neuroses. It all comes back to a dame, of course: not ill-fated leading lady Janet Leigh (Scarlett Johansson), but the director’s long-suffering wife, Alma (Helen Mirren, Oscar-baiting every gesture), who watches with retroactively feminist chagrin as her husband risks everything on a project few want to touch. Too-cutesy conceits such as Hitch’s imagined conversations with serial killer Ed Gein (Michael Wincott) feebly attempt to ground the story in psychological terra firma, while horribly on-the-nose dialogue flatters those viewers who prefer to keep their sense of cinema history on fan-mag frivolous levels. (“I’ve waited 30 years for you to say that to me,” swoons Alma to a rare Hitch compliment. “That’s why they call me ‘The Master of Suspense,’” he quips.) Pardon us, Mother Bates, may we borrow your knife? Keith Uhlich


LincolnEDITOR’S PICK Dir: Steven Spielberg. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Hal Halbrook, David Strathairn, James

Spader, John Hawkes and Tim Blake Nelson.

[[[[[ 2 hour, 30 mins; The combination of Steven Spielberg and America’s most beloved President might seem like a recipe for sentimentality. But the surprisingly spare, riveting Lincoln is after something more complex. At once a further mythologising of Honest Abe and an absorbing demystification of nineteenth-century politics, it’s one of the most mature films Spielberg has made.

Working from a crisp, intelligent script by Tony Kushner, the movie eschews the wiki structure common among biopics. Process-minded, it focuses almost exclusively on the events of January 1865, as the sixteenth President (Daniel Day-Lewis) covertly delays a truce with the South to pass the slavery-ending 13th Amendment in the House.

The director and playwright seem to have had a contemporary inspiration in mind. Even if it weren’t released in election year it would be hard not to see the interest in strategy and temperament as a direct commentary on the man currently living in Lincoln’s house.

With an immersive, unostentatious presentation of the period (you’d never guess Spielberg had made the earnest, turgid Amistad), Lincoln briskly takes us through the calculus of passing the amendment.

If Kushner’s declamatory style sometimes gives Lincoln a theatrical feel in the prologue, a black Union soldier rhetorically remarks to the President that it will be a century before African-Americans have the right to vote. Day-Lewis’s high-pitched Kentucky twang drowns out the creaks of the floorboards. The actor’s uncannily lived-in portrayal provides a warm counterpoint to the cerebral proceedings; awaiting battle news, he dispels tension with a bit of toilet humour.

Like Kushner’s Angels in America, Lincoln is less a literal history than a work that uses a historical moment to meditate on grand themes. It reminds us that there is no halcyon age of politics, and that

even an act as self-evidently righteous as outlawing slavery was forged through compromise, backroom deals and legal loopholes. Profoundly, it illustrates that all politics involves facing an uncertain future. (In one of the more startling scenes, Lincoln is asked by a servant how he’ll feel about the men and women he’s freeing. I suspect I’ll get used to you, he replies.) At a moment when our own House seems hopelessly divided, Lincoln has the optimism to suggest that great achievements can prevail. Ben Kenigsberg


MamaDir: Andrés Muschietti. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nélisse.

[[[[[ 1 hour, 40 mins; Andrés Muschietti’s three-minute fright flick Mamá (2008) fully delivered on the horror of its premise: two young sisters try to sneak out of their house when an undead spectre comes to collect them. Though uneven as a whole, the first-time feature director’s expansion of the short is leagues better than its January release date suggests. After seemingly fending for themselves for five years, the feral Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and Lilly (Isabelle Nélisse) are sent to live with their uncle, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and his metalhead girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain), in an upscale house paid for by the local psychiatric hospital. But the girls have brought someone along with them, a jealously protective wraith who will stop at nothing to keep the siblings close to her.

As in the short, Muschietti displays a refreshingly keen visual sense rare in modern horror movies; one gorgeous extended wide shot captures the sisters having a gravity-defying playdate while an oblivious Annabel does household chores. The director (also the film’s co-writer) is well attuned to the story’s devastating emotional undercurrents, especially when the maternal allegiances of the attached-at-the-hip siblings diverge. Expertly conjured atmosphere only gets Muschietti so far, but there’s enough genuine promise here that you’re willing to cut this talented newcomer some slack. Keith Uhlich


Midnight’s ChildrenDir: Deepa Mehta. Cast: Siddharth, Satya Bhabha, Shriya Saran, Shahana Goswami, Shabana Azmi, Ronit Roy, Seema Biswas.

[[[[[ 2 hours, 20 mins; It’s a source of some amusement that the most approving quote on the poster for Deepa Mehta’s laborious but lavishly illustrated adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Booker-winning doorstop comes from Rushdie himself. You’d expect the great man to be pleased with it: not only did he write the book and screenplay, but he narrates massive stretches of the film in a vigorously fruity but utterly tone-

Now playing Critics’ choiceFilms to watch out for this fortnight

Zero Dark ThirtyGeneral releaseKathryn Bigelow, who hit Oscar gold with The Hurt Locker, is back with her new film about the gunning down of Osama bin Laden. Fri Feb 15 onwards

Special 26 General releaseA Wednesday director Neeraj Pandey tries his hand at a more mainstream film, about a bunch of conmen parading as CBI officers. Opened Feb 8

Films are listed in alphabetical order. They are either on their first run or were being screened in cinemas at the time of publica-tion. Please call the cinemas to check if films that were released earlier are still playing. denotes a recommended event.G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the nearest bus station.Film certification:< Suitable for all ages ; Below 18 allowed but have tobe accompanied by an adult. : Above 18.Star ratings:[[[[[ Avoidable [[[[[Run of the mill [[[[[ Worth a watch[[[[[ Don’t miss it[[[[[ A masterpiece


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John McClane was last seen trying to extend his franchise in 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard. He obviously chose the earlier option (if living free is churning out guilty pleasure studio fare) because he’s back, played as always by Bruce Willis, for this fifth instalment in the series. The John Moore-directed A Good Day to Die Hard sends McClane to Russia, has him meet up with estranged son Jack (Aussie actor Jai Courtney) and generally smash and blow stuff up. The teaser, set against Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony”, promises silly, explosive fun. Opens on Fri Feb 22.

John McClane is backA Good Day to Die Hard

deaf voiceover. “There are certain ironies that must not pass unnoticed,” he trills at one point, as if any subtleties whatsoever could survive his overbearing presence.

It’s a shame that Rushdie has taken such a verbosely literal approach to his York Notes job, since Canadian-Indian director Mehta’s more florid visual treatment occasionally stumbles into moments of sincere emotional grandeur. The sheer density of this rousing epic fable, tracing the casually exchanged, ultimately convergent destinies of two boys (played by Satya Bhabha and Siddharth) switched at birth on the hour of India’s independence, could defeat even the deftest filmmaker. Mehta fudges the political allegory in favour of the story’s magical realism, but still can’t get her arms around the material or past Rushdie’s own bear-hug. Guy Lodge


Race 2Dir: Abbas-Mastan. Cast: Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amisha Patel.

2 hours 26 minutes ;[[[[[

Directors Abbas-Mustan said they would make Race 2 if “they got a script that was better than Race”. Outrageous as the thought of an Abbas-Mustan film having a script is, what’s even more ironic is that the sequel isn’t a new film at all. It’s just Race, reformatted in an even more unbelievably corny avatar. Race 2 is outdated even by 1980s Hindi cinema standards. Writers Shiraz Ahmed and Kiran Kotrial seem to have been functioning on a highly potent drug for them to have come up with lines like, “Jo meri last fight thi, woh meri last fight thi.” Cinematographer Ravi Yadav, we suspect, dozed off several times during the film’s shoot – what else could explain the camera focusing on a basket of fruits, when there are, well, actors in the same frame.

Saif Ali Khan, currently struggling to maintain the ‘saleable at box office’ tag, returns as the wily Ranveer Singh, more chiselled and cocky than he was in part 1. Khan’s the superhero of the franchise, a kinda suave Chulbul Pandey, who dupes a casino owner of 500 million dollars, diffuses a bomb (if plucking it from under a car and throwing it into the ocean counts), and performs a heist, all by himself. Khan’s nemesis is Armaan (John Abraham who plays John Abraham with remarkable astuteness).

Race 2, however, is most memorable for two things: Anil Kapoor, who plays the Johnny Lever of the film and the climax, involving an airplane, a broken window, a pilot going, “What’s happening out there?” Eventually, a car that dives out of the plane mid-air, parachutes et al.

Made on a budget enough to educate half of Maharashtra’s child population, Race 2 is the kind of film you wish for your worst enemy to watch on a Saturday night at the most expensive multiplex ticket available.

Aniruddha Guha Opened on Fri Jan 25.

Silver Linings PlaybookDir: David O Russell. Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher

[[[[[ 2 hours 2 mins. :See page 30 and Reviews.Opens on Fri Feb 22.

Special 26EDITOR’S PICK Dir: Neeraj Pandey. Cast: Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpayee, Jimmy Shergill, Rajesh Sharma.

[[[ [ 2 hours 23 mins. ;See Reviews. Opened on Fri Feb 8.

This is 40Dir: Judd Apatow Cast: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks

[[[[[ 2 hours 14 mins. :See Reviews. Opens on Fri Feb 22.s

Zero Dark ThirtyEDITOR’S PICK Dir: Kathryn Bigelow. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton

[[[[[ 2 hours 37 mins. :See page 31 and Reviews. Opens on Fri Feb 15.

Other film screeningsAlliance FrançaiseSeating priority for members. Fri Feb 15, 7pm Landscapes of Loving and Longing

The documentary explores the theme of disability and sexuality, and tracks the lives of people suffering from conditions such as cerebral palsy and muscle dystrophy and how the disability affects their sexuality.

(52 minutes)Much Ado About Knotting The film takes a look at how perceptions and prejudices change in the match-making circus of bureaus, families and matrimonial websites. (52 minutes)

Mon Feb 18, 6.30pmL’Autre This French film chronicles the trials of Anne-Marie after she decides to leave Alex to protect her freedom. She continues seeing him even after leaving, but she gets jealous when another woman enters Alex’s life.

(1 hour 37 mins)Wed Feb 20, 7pm Une Autre Solitude Une Autre Solitude or Another Loneliness highlights the backstage goings-on in the world of theatre. The film traces the rehearsals of the play In the solitude of cotton fields.

(1 hour, 18 minutes)Tue Feb 26, 6.30pm Workingman’s Death This acclaimed documentary takes a look at the extreme ways in which workers earn a living in different parts of the world.

(2 hours, 2 minutes) Theosophy Hall, near Nirmala Niketan, New Marine Lines, Churchgate (2203-6187). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Nirmala Niketan.

The American Center The security-conscious Americans want you to show up at least 30 minutes before screening.

Sat Feb 16 Antwone Fisher Antwone Fisher – whose life the film is about – worked as a security guard at Sony Pictures, and managed to get his screenplay produced on the lot. Antwone is born in prison, abandoned by his mother, and placed in the hands of an evil foster mother. He finds a “fairy godmother figure” in Davenport, Fisher’s Navy psychiatrist, played by director Denzel Washington. Davenport’s patient commitment allows his angry charge to confront his past and reach “closure”, thus liberating him, one presumes, to write the screenplay –just as Washington’s support was crucial in getting it into production. Tom Charity.

US Consulate General, Mumbai, C-49, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex Bandra (E) (2672-4000). G Bandra (WR), Kurla (CR Main & Harbour). v Kala Nagar.

Max Mueller BhavanSat Feb 16100 Years of Indian Cinema To celebrate the hundredth year of Indian cinema, Narendra Panjwani, professor of film studies at St Xavier’s College, will curate an exhibition of posters and stills spanning the century. As a part of this exhibit there will also be two discussions; the first one is called Mining the Gems in 100 Years of Filmmaking, this is a panel discussion on the positive and negative changes in cinema. At 11 am. The second one is Comparing Challenges of Filmmaking in India with those in other countries at 2 pm.

Galarie Max Mueller,K Dubash Marg, behind Jehangir Art Gallery, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2284-4484). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum.

NCPA Seating on first come first served basis and members will get preferential seating.

Fri Feb 15, 6.30pm10ml Love This film is a contemporary adaptation of the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare. There is a set of entangled relationships, but there’s also a smattering of Ghalib. The poet complicates matters, and the magical elements make the tale enchanting.

(1 hour, 29 minutes)

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Thu Feb 21, 6.30pmEDITOR’S PICK Achhut Kanya Screened under the series NCPA Flashbacks, this 1936 film takes a grim look at the problems caused due to caste barriers. An untouchable girl and a Brahmin youth fall in love but cannot be together because of caste restrictions. The film looks at their lives after a chance encounter at a village fair years later and the effect it has on their new lives.

(2 hours, 22 minutes) Little Theatre, National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, near Hilton Towers, Nariman Point (6622-3737). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Nariman Point.

Prithvi HouseSeating on first come first served basisMon Feb 25, 7pmThe Story of Film: An Odyssey This is a documentary about the history of film and has been directed and narrated by Mark Cousins, a film critic from Northern Ireland.

Prithvi House, First Floor, Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir Society, Juhu Church Road, Juhu (2614-9546) G Vile Parle (WR). v JVPD scheme.

Russian Centre for Science and Culture Fri Feb 15, 6pmThe Star This film follows a group of soldiers during the World War II. The group called Zvezda is sent to look for hidden German armour forces

behind enemy lines. (1 hour, 27 minutes)Mon Feb 18, 6pmThe Father of a Soldier An old peasant wine grower accompanies the soviet army during the Second World War after he fails to find his son, a wounded soldier.

(1 hour, 23 minutes)Fri Feb 22, 6pmEDITOR’S PICK The Cranes Are Flying

Mikhail Kalatozov’s war movie, a product of the Khrushchev thaw, was adapted by Viktor Rozov from his own play and won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1958. It remains notable for the way its story of a young couple torn apart by war stresses human suffering and waste, rather than the heroic struggle foisted on directors by the Stalinist dictates of “Socialist Realism”. There is much to admire: the vital performances, notably that of the dark-eyed Tatyana Samojlova; Sergei Urusevsky’s beautifully composed black-and-white camerawork; the urgent crowd scenes and dynamic mise-en-scène. But Moisey Vaynberg’s too-pointed and occasionally gauche and melodramatic score is unfortunate, given the movie’s overall subtlety and emotional restraint. Wally Hammond

(1 hour, 47 minutes)Driver for Vera A young Red army soldier Viktor becomes a chauffeur for the general and later begins a relationship with his disabled and volatile daughter Vera. This film is a winner of several awards.

(1 hour, 45 minutes) 31 A, Dr G Deshmukh Marg, Peddar Road, Mumbai (2351-0793). G Grant Road (WR) v Sophia College.

The Films DivisionSat Feb 16, 4pmTracing Phalke This documentary-in-progress takes you through the life and work of Dadasaheb Phalke. The film will be followed by a discussion with director Kamal Swaroop.

(23 minutes)Sat Feb 23, 4pmMy Winnipeg The director Guy Maddin describes the film as a docu-fantasia; a mock-umentary of his hometown Winnipeg.

(1 hour, 20 minutes) RR Theatre, 10th floor, Films Division, 24 Peddar Road. G Grant Road (WR), v Sophia College.

Also opening The fortnight’s other offeringsFri Feb 15Jayantabhai Ki Luv StoryDir: Vinnil Markan. Cast: Vivek Oberoi, Neha Sharma.

Although the title sounds more like a Gujarati jeweller’s saga rather than that of a thug, the film seems to be quite predictable: two unlikely people – a bhai and a simple Mumbai girl – fall in love. Throw in some songs and corny dialogue, and you have the Hindi romantic comedy template ready.

Fri Feb 15Murder 3Dir: Vishesh Bhatt. Cast: Randeep Hooda, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sara Loren.

The missing link in the third part of the franchise is serial kisser Emraan Hashmi who has been replaced by Randeep Hooda.

Fri Feb 22Koi Po CheDir: Abhishek Kapoor. Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Amrita Puri, Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh.

Based on a Chetan Bhagat novel, the

film’s about male bonding and is set against the backdrop of the Gujarat riots. See High fliers on page 70.

NoticeboardNFDC Screen Writer’s Lab The NFDC (National Film Development Corporation Ltd) organises a screenwriter’s lab every year and this year it is going to be held in association with the Toronto Film Festival. The lab aims to select six talented screenwriters and guide them through the process of developing their scripts. The lab gives them a chance to interact with experienced writers and through personal sessions with their mentors. It also aims to impart to them the techniques to improve and pitch their scripts. The deadline to submit a script synopsis is Fri Mar 1.

The Indian RazziesThe Ghanta Awards 2013 The third annual event presents awards in categories such as Worst Director and That’s Anything But Sexy, drawn by a public online vote on nominations from critics such as Ghanta’s co-founder Karan Anshuman, film critic , Mumbai Mirror; Rajeev Masand, CNN-IBN and Sahil Rizwan, TheVigilIdiot.com.

Enigma, JW Marriott, Fri Feb 15, 8pm. Tickets 1,000, 1,800. To book online, log on to www.zomato.com.

The Royal Turds Gursimran Khamba and Tanmay Bhat of cult podcast All India Bakchod team up with fellow stand-up comics Rohan Joshi, Ashish Shakya and Anuvab Pal to award and appreciate all the dung bombs that we were subjected to in the past year.

Liberty Cinema, Fri Feb 15, 8.30pm. Tickets 200, 400, 600.

The Filmfail AwardsThe comic crew Schitzengiggles laughs at and celebrates the Bollywood gems of the year gone by with awards chosen by an online poll from nominations film critics Aniruddha Guha, Time Out Mumbai; Baradwaj Rangan, The Hindu; Mihir Fadnavis, Mid-Day and Rituparna Chatterjee, movies editor at IBN Live.

St Andrew’s Auditorium, Thur Feb 28, 8pm. Tickets 200, 400, 600.

Antwone Fisher

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All regions. Reliance Home Video 499

There is not much to like about film reporter and aspiring screenwriter Lee Simon (Kenneth Branagh). He has abandoned his college sweetheart and wife to seek love and fame in the glitterati of Hollywood. There’s the sultry married actress (Melanie Griffith), the mysterious, attractive extra (Winona Ryder) and the vain supermodel who gets an orgasm at a mere touch (Charlize Theron). While her husband runs wild with his newfound single status, Robin (a fine Judy Davis) wallows in her sorrows until she finds a TV producer (Joe Mantegna), who sweeps her off her feet.

Celebrity is Woody Allen’s sarcastic view into the world of show business. Allen takes Simon to the stars’ hangouts: the parties, the premieres, the cosmetic clinic and the hotel suite where they are at their pretentious, oddball best. In the film’s most amusing cameo, Leonardo DiCaprio is a self-

indulgent young star who enjoys a threesome and simultaneously tells Simon about his issues with the script. Allen employs a safe, moralistic mentality here: the good gal initially suffers but eventually succeeds, while the bad boy enjoys but ultimately pays the price. Branagh is too Allenesque in his

delivery and socially awkward ways. The standout work is by cinematographer Sven Nykvist, whose black-and-white visuals light up New York even though Allen can’t help but throw in a self-deprecating remark – “He is one of the assholes who shoots all of his films in black-and-white”. There are no special features. Suhani Singh

All regions. Reliance Home Video 599

Moonrise Kingdom is Anderson’s seventh feature, and his return to live action after 2007’s The Darjeeling Limited (the stop-motion Fantastic Mr Fox came in between). Suzy (Kara Hayward) and Sam (Jared Gilman) are New England teens who decide to run away together: she from her distracted, eccentric parents, he from a Boy Scouts troop. They go on the lam, camping, fishing

and falling in love. On their trail is Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) and his Lord of the Flies-like troop, policeman Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), Suzy’s lawyer parents (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand) and Social Services (Tilda Swinton).

Despite the young leads at its centre, this is a decidedly adult film. In fact, for all the Andersonion whimsy that surrounds them, it’s difficult to recall a film in which two children have been so utterly – and possibly clinically –

depressed. Suzy and Sam are less teens than troubled grown-ups in microcosm. It’s easy to imagine them as younger versions of adult characters from other Anderson films; Suzy could conceivably grow up to be wistful, unsmiling Margot from The Royal Tenanbaums. Or perhaps they’d grow up to be Wes Anderson, the patron saint of talented neurotics, who populated this film with references from his own childhood.

The worlds Anderson creates are so fascinating that it’s possible to simply sit back and admire the little details. Why would anyone think of pairing Benjamin Britten and Hank Williams on a soundtrack? Is the lightning storm at the end deliberately made to look like a colourised early film? The best thing about Moonrise Kingdom is that even if you don’t care about questions like these, there’s a good chance you’ll still be moved by the sweet, sad story of two kids, wise beyond their years, trying to escape their mixed-up lives. Watch out for Willis, supremely gentle and moving. The DVD has a solitary extra called “A Look Inside Moonrise Kingdom”; it’s a very, very brief look. Uday Bhatia

Celebrity

Moonrise KingdomField of dreams Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman

The fame monster Melanie Griffith and Kenneth Branagh

DVD reviews

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One of the questions raised in the aftermath of the brutal rape case in Delhi late last

year was the normalisation of the daily viol ence faced by lower caste and lower class women across the city and the invisible sexual violence, often involving rape, of sexual minorities like hijras, about which there is no outrage.

It is some indication of the mindlessness that can sometimes come out of such outrage, that a recent report in the Hindustan Times spoke of hijras from the NGO, Space joining the battle against violence on women with no mention of what is being done about the violence they face on a daily basis themselves.

Calling themselves the “chakka squad” and armed with brooms, slippers, playing cards and skits,

they aim to publicly humiliate men who sexually harass women, we are told. Their modes both triv ialise the very serious and violent business of sexual harassment of women and participate in the erasure of the violence against themselves.

Staging dharnas outside the houses of sexual harassers, following them and forcing them to “apologise” is just the kind of public culture of kangaroo courts and lynching that we do not need at all. Indeed it might have dangerous repercussions both for the women being harassed and the hijras, who are themselves vulnerable subjects.

Instead of making hijras political subjects fighting against the violence they suffer on a daily basis, instead of working with

them to develop transgender politics (as has developed in Tamil Nadu, for example), this sort of project, invoking hijra “respect” for women and forcing on them ethical resp onsibilities towards society with none toward themselves says a lot about how far the country still has to go toward equality for its citizens of every gender.

The point of such a hare-brained project is to whitewash hijras – to make them more acceptable to bourgeois society and to the nonsense that passes for gender- sensitivity in the North Indian mind. The fact is that hijras are mainly sex workers and face serious abuse on the streets of Delhi while soliciting and doing sex work. This kind of move aims to make them palatable and acceptable to mainstream society.

That some hijras happily accept this initiative is of a piece with the fact that the most important thing to the community seems to be beauty contests – when it is not being used by all and sundry,

from banks collecting loans to the land mafia needing people murdered. Unlike in South

India, the transgender community in North India is not politicised at all. Finally, this populist idea of hijras (the implication is lesser men) humiliating “real men”, thereby proving themselves the “real men” who “protect women” is rife with the sexist nonsense that pervades the social tissue, here masquerading as gender justice.

Hijras are not men and have problems of their own. They are harassed, beaten and raped regularly, often by the police themselves – and we need to stand with them in the struggle for their rights, not marshal them for the feminist struggle to legitimise and domesticate them (though of course they are welcome as allies in that struggle).

Respect for women and their protection must be the respect we would accord any political subject. Men, real or otherwise, need to respect women and hijras as political subjects, not protect the one and live in fear of humiliation and embarrassment by the other.

What the aftermath of the rape case has shown us is that, let alone sexual minorities, most people in Delhi don’t even know how to see women as independent and autonomous subjects. The last thing we need is for sexual minorities to participate in this sexist ignorance.

Think before slappingHijra squads for women’s safety deserve further scrutiny, argues Ashley Tellis.

Gay & Lesbian

Resources Counselling A few friends who can help out when you need to have a chat. Ketan Parmar 98209-00115; Rajesh Parikh 98700-66282; Rajendra Barve 2438-2525; Eshita Mandal 98331-22303; Sandhya Panaskar (LBT Women) 91675-35765.

Azaad Bazaar The queer-friendly store may have downed its Bandra garage shutters, but its website still has the t-shirts, mugs, lamps, earrings, neckpieces, furry handcuffs and rainbow-coloured eyelashes that we’ve come to love. See www.azaadbazaar.com.

D’Kloset This Bandra store stocks everything that you will need for a pride parade or just a weekend out with the boy. Parera Wadi,30th Road, Off Pali Naka, in Toto’s bar lane, near Shiv Sagar restaurant. Bandra (W). Call Inder Vhatwar at 98203-19195. Email: [email protected].

Gaybombay This group creates safe spaces for the gay community in Mumbai through its website www.gaybombay.org, the [email protected] mailing list, regular meetings each month and parties.

Gaysi Queer desis can share personal opinions and experiences, coming out stories, poems, book and film reviews or event notices. It also has a section dedicated to translating queer literature. See www.gaysifamily.com.

Humsafar Trust This group focuses on support related to HIV/AIDS for men who have sex with men. It has open events on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, and community events in Hindi every Friday from 6-8.30pm. Call the Humsafar Trust on 2667-3800 between Mon and Sat from 2-8pm. Email: [email protected]. See www.humsafar.org.

Lesbians And Bisexuals In Action Labia deals with the issues of queer women. It has regular meetings and film screenings and is active on issues relating to queer and trans-identified women. Call on 98332-78171 on Mon, Wed and Sat from 5-8pm. Email [email protected].

Events are listed in alphabetical order. Addresses are included in the Venues A-Z section at the end of the listings. If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112). Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publication, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Listings

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Kids


Sat Feb 23Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs See Sun Feb 17. The Comedy Store. 2pm. 750.

Sun Feb 24EDITOR’S PICK Nagla forest trail Explore the lesser known Nagla block of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park with the BNHS. Located near Vasai creek, it is home to various species of wetland birds, butterflies and monsoon plants. Carry a packed lunch. Ages 10+

Meeting points: near Punjabi Chandu Halwai in Dadar (E), near Diamond Garden in Chembur, near Cadbury Junction and Hiranandani Junction in Thane. 750. To register, call 2282-1811 or email [email protected].

Nature trail The densely forested Karnala Bird Sanctuary, just off the highway to Goa, is home to over 150 bird species. Among the commonly spotted mammals are four-horned antelopes, wild boar, langurs, African monkeys and muntjak or barking deer. Leopards are also seen, though less commonly. The walk will be organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature. All ages.

The meeting point is Dadar TT, Dadar (E). G Dadar (WR, CR Main). v Dadar TT. 6.30am. 1,250. To register, call 2207-8105 or 2207-1970 to register.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs See Sun Feb 17. The Comedy Store. Noon, 2pm. 750.

OngoingEDITOR’S PICK Kickboxing camp Kids can box away all that pent-up hyperactive energy. Ages 5-14

Saifee Hospital, Maharshi Karve Marg, Charni Road. G Charni Road (WR). v Charni Road station. To register, call Amit Lalwani on 98690-36872. Tue, Fri, 5.30pm. 1,910 for a month, including boxing gloves. `4,764 for 3 months.

Know your animals Erika Cunha’s Animal Parade workshops help juniors uncover secrets of various animal species such as their habits and habitats, using worksheets alongside art and craft games. Ages 2-6

2 E Sundatta, Mount Pleasant Road, Malabar Hill. G Grant Road (WR). v Hanging Gardens. Call on 98210-26287. 400 per session.

Pottery classes Artist Vinod Dubey guides batches of kids in hand-modelling at his pottery store, Mitty. They can learn to shape clay animals and birds, pots, bowls and Ganapati figures. Ages 5-10

18 Jewel Shopping Centre, Seven Bungalows, Versova, Andheri (W). G Andheri (WR, CR Harbour). v Seven Bungalows Garden. Call 93246-26697. Flexible timings. `1,000 for eight sessions.

Robotics and gaming Children can learn robotics and the basics of video game design at this weekly one-on-one class offered by Asha Sundarajan. Ages 6+

Things to doSat Feb 16Fractals workshop Boring old geometric figures like squares and triangles can be used to build a skyscraper, a bus or any other man-made object. They fall dismally short when it comes to shapes found in nature though; try constructing something like a cauliflower with them. This is where fractals come in –demystified at a session by the Pomegranate Workshop this fortnight. Professor AG Rao, who teaches at the Industrial Design Centre, conducts the workshop. Ages 12-15

PL Deshpande Academy, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Sayani Road, Prabhadevi (2431-2956). G Elphinstone Road (WR). v Ravindra Natya Mandir. 2-4.30pm. For fee details and registration, call 98922-10539.

Sun Feb 17Yeoor Hills trek Nestled in a secluded spot of Sanjay Gandhi National Park are rare birds like the purple-rumped sunbird and the gold-fronted leafbird. The Bombay Natural History Society’s trip is a must for budding ornithologists.

Meeting points: near Punjabi Chandu Halwai in Dadar (E), near Diamond Garden in Chembur, near Cadbury Junction in Thane. 750. To register, call 2282-1811 or email [email protected].

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The onstage adaptation of the fairy tale promises to be “zippy and zany”. Ages 2+

The Comedy Store, Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4348-5000). G Lower Parel (WR). v Phoenix Mills. Noon, 2pm. 750.

Admission for readings and other events is free unless otherwise stated. G denotes the nearest train station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Mithila Phadke. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, near-est train station and bus stop, tele-phone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publica-tion, appearing on the stands eve-ry other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Events

The spirit of enquiry, glorious as it is, can result in casualties. Especially when it involves children. It isn’t unusual that, foxed by a seemingly innocuous question directed at you by the young one – “Why does the sky turn orange in the evening?” or “Why is a desert a desert?” – you’ve had to furtively google answers on your smart phone. Tulika Books’s set of five fun science guides might just bail parents out of trouble. Priced at 95 each, they’re not as expensive as your monthly 3G plan either.

The beautifully illustrated series were developed as part of a classroom project at the Bengaluru-based Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology.

The stories are simple; at times even simplistic. But thankfully, they are not didactic or apocalyptic. They couldn’t have come at a more suitable time – India celebrates National Science Day this fortnight, on Thur Feb 28.

Beeji’s Story: Earth’s Surface Beeji is a globe-trotting seed who sets off on an adventure. She flies off to the Arctic

to meet polar bears, then to snow-capped mountains, down a river on to a beach and through a desert, before settling down in a forest. Through Beeji, kids learn about surface areas of the earth.

Bhoomi’s Story: SpaceBhoomi is earth, and this is the story of the universe, which she is part of. She tells readers

about the sun, moon, stars and planets. Young scientists can learn about how the earth’s distance from the sun makes it habitable and also why the moon takes on different shapes and sometimes “hides herself completely” from the earth.

Boondi’s Story: WaterBy now you must have caught the drift. Boondi happens to be a water droplet.

And he narrates the story of the water cycle and its importance for all living things. Kids will also learn about the creatures that live only in water and even complex concepts such as floods and droughts.

Dhooli’s Story: AirDhooli is, of course, a mote of dust floating on air. The little adorable

speck explains complex concepts of the atmosphere, cloud formation and how the sky changes colour in the morning and evening. Gitti’s Story: Earth

Gitti, a little rock who sits on top of a mountain, reminisces about her past, delving

into the earth’s crust, and its different layers. Kids learn about volcanoes, the movement of the earth’s plates and mountains.

Green warriors The First Look Science Books series by Tulika demystifies nature’s wonders, finds Bijal Vachharajani.

First Look Science Books Tulika, 95 each. Ages 6+

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Kids

Kids

Children’s Technology Workshop, 41, Dhairyaveer, 8th Road, Juhu (2620-5918). G Vile Parle (WR, CR Harbour). v Cooper Hospital. Call on 99675-83355. Mon-Sat. 4,300 for eight sessions.

Skating classes Kiddy groups can get together to avail of Rehman Shaikh’s hour-long skating training in building compounds. There will be eight sessions in a month. Ages 4+

Between Bandra (W) & Andheri (W). Call on 98207-35399. Flexible timings. `1,500 per month.

Volunteer with WSD Cramped apartments often deter Mumbai families from adopting a pet but that doesn’t mean that your kid can’t get a chance to bond with an animal. At the Welfare of Stray Dogs kennel, children can volunteer to walk stray pooches and even give them a nice long bath. The reward for your child is an excited bark, a vigorously wagging tail and a wet lick. Bliss. Ages 6+

Welfare of Stray Dogs, Municipal Dog Licensing Compound, Saat Rasta, Mahalaxmi. G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Mahalaxmi Station. To volunteer, call on 6422-2838.

Yoga classes Nishrin Parikh teaches kids asanas and breathing techniques. All ages.

Mittal Castle, Fifth Floor, near Mahalaxmi Temple, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Breach Candy. G Grant Road (WR). v Breach Candy. Call on 98672-87395. Flexible timings. `3,500 for 10 sessions.

OutingsBhau Daji Lad Museum Were jewellery boxes and smoking pipes once shaped out of bison horn? At the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, children will get to see this rare craft of Ratnagiri and other exquisite examples of craftsmanship from around the country such as colourful Ganjifa cards (hand-painted playing cards popularised by the Mughals), bidri work, papier mache and enamelware. A showcase displays beautiful examples of Bombay pottery, a style of pottery developed at the JJ School of Art in the latter part of the nineteenth-century, which was inspired by the Ajanta cave paintings. At the Kamalnayan Bajaj gallery on the mezzanine, kids can get a fascinating glimpse into Mumbai from a bygone era. There’s an audio-visual slide show of rare photographs of the city and its architecture in the early nineteenth century; a collection of old maps of the city dating from the early seventeenth to the early nineteenth century and a 3-D map of Heptanesia (the earliest known name for Bombay), which shows the geographical contours of Mumbai when it was a cluster of seven islands. Don’t miss the collection of dioramas and models that show the number of communities living in Bombay in the nineteenth century and their life back then.

Veermata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan (Byculla Zoo), Dr Ambedkar Road, Byculla (E) (6556-0394/3249-9155). G Byculla (CR Main). v Rani Bagh. Thur-Tue 10.45am-5.45pm.Tickets available until 5pm. Entry free for

children from BMC schools and NGOs, physically challenged children and children under five years. School groups 2 per head. Children above five years 5. Adults 10. Foreigners above five years 50, adults 100.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

This imposing two-floor institution, formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum, houses more than 30,000 artefacts. Its natural history section, which has huge stuffed whales, rhino, deer and bird exhibits, is a big hit with children. Also of interest are displays of Tibetan, Nepali and European art and a spectacular Indian miniature collection. You can almost hear money talk at the House of Laxmi Coin Gallery, which traces the evolution of metal money from punch-marked coins of the sixth century BC till the British era.

159/6 MG Road, Kala Ghoda (2284-4519/4484). G Churchgate (WR) & CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Museum. Tue-Sun 10.15am-6pm. Entry free for differently abled people. Visitors between 5 and 12 years, 5. Above 12 years, 40. College students carrying identity cards, 20. Foreigners between 5 and 12 years, `5. Foreigners above 12 years, 300. International college students carrying identity cards, 20. Audio tours 75 (Hindi & Marathi), 100 for English, Spanish, French & Japanese.

FREE Juhu Garden This garden has a walking track lined with existing coconut, bottle palm trees and perennial shrubs that suit the beach environment. Little seats made of painted tyres and logs are strewn around the park and are great to sit and watch the sunset.

Juhu Beach, next to Sun & Sand Hotel. G Vile Parle (WR & CR Harbour). v Juhu Church. Daily 5.30-8.30am, 5-9.30pm.

Maharashtra Nature Park Years ago, this park was just another city garbage dump. However, in the late 1970s, a plan was drawn up to ecologically restore the dump into a nature park. Today, Maharashtra Nature Park has more than 200 tree species, 80 species of birds and about 38 species of butterflies. Kids can look forward to seeing a mangrove stretch

and latch on to plenty of solid trees with low-hanging branches. Ages 7+.

Sion-Bandra Link Road, Sion (W) (2407-7641). G Sion (CR Main). v Dharavi Bus Depot. Daily 9am-3pm (except bank holidays). 5 per person.

EDITOR’S PICK FREE Mani BhavanChildren can leaf through Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s exceptional collection of over 50,000 books, read his correspondence with world leaders, hear his voice on an old audio tape available and learn about milestones of Gandhi’s life and fight for Indian freedom through tableaux sequences depicted by a colourful collection of almost 40 clay doll figures.

Laburnum Road, Gamdevi (2380-5864). G Grant Road (WR). v Gamdevi. Daily 9.30am-6pm.

LibrariesAkshara Children's Library Located in Colaba, this hands-on children’s library run by Radhika Kundalia began with about 2,000 books from her childhood collection. It has grown since then and includes Hindi and Marathi collections.

1 Sorab House, Ground Floor, 6 Garden Road, off Colaba Causeway. Call Radhika Kundalia on 2204-1908. G Churchgate (WR) & CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Cusrow Baug. Mon-Sat, 11am-7pm. 700 non-refundable registration fee plus 10-25 per book taken. Eight books per fortnight.

Fairyland Toy Library Members can take five toys per week. You can ask librarian Jyoti Bhatia to recommend age-appropriate toys for your child. Ages 1-6

C-1 Ashish Building, Sai Baba Temple Road, Borivali (W) (2809-2743). G Borivali (WR). v Mulji Nagar. Mon 10am-1pm, Fri-Sat 9am-1pm

`800 refundable deposit plus 800 for two months.

Kids Toy Library Members can borrow four items from

their stock of educational and fun toys every week. Ages 1+

4, Apsara Building, Roshan Nagar, off Chandavarkar Road, Borivali (W). G Borivali (WR). v Borivali station. Also at 56/566 MHB Colony, 90 Feet Road, Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali (W). G Kandivali (WR). v Mahavir Nagar. Call Prakash Sanghvi on 98208-30315 or 91671-77883. Tue & Sat 10am-2pm and 4-8pm in Borivali. 800 refundable deposit plus 150 registration fee plus `350 per month. Yearly membership discounted fee 3,150. Wed 10am-6pm in Kandivali, 500 refundable deposit plus 150 registration fee plus 300 per month.

Out of the Box Parents can rent three toys and a book per week. Ages 1-10

Ground Floor, Sahakar Apartments, 34 Nutan Laxmi Society, 10th Road, Juhu. Call on 98214-63923/ 98694-04489. G Vile Parle (WR & CR Harbour). v Madhukunj. Mon-Sat 10am-6pm

700 refundable deposit plus 300 registration fee plus 600 per month for toys and 130 per month for books.

Play ‘n’ Learn Library This home library run by Bhairavi Shah offers pre-school activity books, educational toys and handmade teaching aids for both parents and teachers. Members can take a book and two toys per week. Ages 2+

B-304, Anandnagar, Forjett Street, Tardeo (98704-03993). G Grant Road (WR). v Bhatia Hospital. Fri 10am-6pm 500 refundable deposit plus 100 registration fee plus 750 for three months.

Reading Tree This library for kids aged between two-and-a-half and 16 years has over 5,000 books to choose from. In May, Reading Tree holds hour-long workshops for children under six years on every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11.30am to 12.30pm. The activities include craft, storytelling, drawing and puzzle-making.

2 Purna Building, off Worli Seaface, Pochkhanawala Road, Worli (2497-0768). G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Police Camp Worli. Tue-Sat 11am-6.45pm, Sun 11am-1.30pm Annual membership 1,600. 1,000 for workshops on every Tue, Thur and Fri in May.

Unnati Toy Library This 14-year-old library has over 30,000 books and 6,000 toys. Members can rent 10 toys and 10 books per month. Unnati also has branches in Byculla and Goregaon.

207-D Vasudev Sadan, Dr Ambedkar Road, Matunga (E) (2411-1999). G Matunga Road (WR), Matunga (CR Main). v Ruia College. Mon-Thur 9am-noon, 3-6pm; Sat 9am-3pm 500 refundable deposit plus 500 registration fee plus 300 per month for books and toys.

Critics’ choiceThe best things to do this fortnight

Fractals workshop PL Deshpande AcademyProfessor AG Rao from the Industrial Design Centre demystifies the concept of fractals. Sat Feb 16

Nature trail Karnala Bird SanctuarySpot four-horned antelopes, wild boar, langurs, African monkeys and muntjak or barking deer, and even leopards if you are lucky. Sun Feb 24


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They’re all music giants who’ve spent decades honing their music. But how did they end

up snagged by the blues? Time Out goes back to the beginning, when these Mahindra Blues Festival’s biggies were just wee bit lads and well, one lady.

Jimmy ThackeryWhen Chopin’s compositions made the Arkansas-based Jimmy Thackery cry at the age of two, papa Thackery knew his son would be a musician. At 13, Thackery quit the piano he had been learning for the past two years in favour of the guitar when he realised he wasn’t going to get any girls. His blues repertoire today includes 14 years with the Nighthawks from 1972 to ’86, then the Assassins till ’91, after which he shifted back to the trio mode of performing. It would be just him, a bass player and a drummer – like “Moe, Larry and Curly”. Known for his energetic live performances, perhaps Thackery will grace the Mahindra Blues audience with his Chuck Berry-style duckwalking moves.

Walter Trout As a child, Walter Trout wanted to be a jazz trumpet player. When he was 10, his birthday gift from his “hip parents” as he termed them, was to spend the day with American composer and pianist Duke Ellington. This changed to Trout picking up the acoustic guitar when he heard Bob Dylan’s first record in ’61. When he heard the Beatles, it progressed to an electric guitar. Blues entered the picture when Trout heard Michael Bloomfield’s solos on a Paul Butterfield Blues Band album. In an interview with Guitar World, Trout said, “From that moment, I swear I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. After that I was pretty unidirectional. I knew I was going to play blues lead guitar. Everything else in my life took a back-seat after that, and I just went after it with everything I had.” Trout will perform at the festival with his band of Radicals.

Michael MesserInitially, this British blues guitarist played the double bass with his

brothers in a family band. The instrument named Gertrude was left behind by his folk musician neighbour who went around the world hiking. It wasn’t until the ’70s when the slide and steel guitarist and roots musician was all grown up, that he picked up his guitar. Messer grew up listening to the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Little Feat. That gives Messer’s music an edge and as he explained in an interview with Acoustic magazine, “I use those influences to create contemporary music.” Messer along with his peeps, the Second Mind Band, will conduct a blues workshop and perform during the festival’s special brunch.

Popa ChubbyBorn in the Bronx, Popa Chubby aka Ted Horowitz saw Chuck Berry live at the age of six. He asked his father what the bulge in Berry’s pocket was. The answer, “That’s Chuck’s money” went on to become Chubby’s defining blues moment. When he was discouraged from making noise while practising the drums, Chubby picked up the

guitar at 14. But the blues hadn’t taken over completely yet. Chubby immersed himself in New York’s punk scene with Richard Hell. In ’90 after a jam session with Parliament-Funkadelic collective’s Bernie Worrell, Chubby made his move and never looked back. For the upcoming Mahindra Blues Festival, Chubby, as he wrote in an email to Time Out, wishes the audience to have “extreme excitement and perfect pleasure” just like what his name stands for – a slang idiom for an erection.

Robert RandolphHe may be decades younger than the rest of the line-up at the upcoming festival, but Robert Randolph is no newbie to the blues circuit. In his early thirties now, the New Jersey boy played the pedal steel guitar performing Sacred Steel style of music in church. He said on his website, “I was only allowed to listen to modern Christian and gospel music growing up, so there was so much I didn’t know about.” At the age of 19, he got tickets to see Stevie Ray Vaughan live and after that, “I wanted to play pedal steel like Stevie Ray played his guitar,” said his website. He was discovered by an artist manager at the Sacred Steel Convention and pretty soon, Randolph was opening for and recording albums with the North Mississippi Allstars and then later touring with Eric Clapton. He will be performing at the festival with his family members in a group aptly titled, the Family Band comprising Danyel Morgan on bass, Marcus Randolph on drums, Adam Smirnoff and Brett Haas on guitars, and Lenesha Randolph.

Dana FuchsBefore she was saved by the blues, Dana Fuchs began singing in a small black church on the outskirts of her town in rural Florida. According to her website, “The best advice I ever got was from a matronly African American woman who told me to just let ‘Mama Music’ take over. I felt inspired, liberated and scared.” At 19, when she was in Manhattan, the suicide of her older sister and mentor forced her to chase music full time. The lovely lady who will perform with her band, will be the only woman to play alongside the other international artists.

Mehboob Studios Sat Feb 16. See Festivals in gigs.

Colour me blueDeborah Cornelious finds out how blues got the better of the headliners at the upcoming edition of the Mahindra Blues Festival.

Music

In to focus Walter Trout

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Matt Mondanile’s fourth album as Ducktails is nothing new. But then that’s largely the point. This indie scenester doesn’t need to change the world, he just wants to make joyful tunes that quickly disperse into the great, miasmic cloud of American rock and pop.

A lot on The Flower Lane sounds like woozy karaoke covers of soft rock classics, or the jangly indie-pop of Mondanile’s other band, Real Estate. But, with strings and horns appearing, the tone here is richer, funkier and more playful. On “Planet Phrom”, Mondanile sings of “making love with my alien wife”. It may come across like an album made for stoners, but The Flower Lane is for anyone with an imagination, for whom the familiar still holds some magical appeal. Jonny Ensall

Sharnaagat Euphoria, 35 on Flyte

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Euphoria’s latest offering is the devotional album, Sharnaagat

explores the devotional side of music and comes with a 12-side inlay card! We don’t remember

any other Indian band that has put in so much effort for an album. Old world, good habits. The first track, “Sharnaagat” begins with a tune reminiscent of Bengali music and then lead singer Palash Sen takes over. The multi-instrument song grows on you with its peaceful vibe. Next up is “Prabhu Ji”, a mellow number with a slow pop arrangement that presents the dilemma of a man who is searching for god. The experimental “Prabhu,” while an interesting listen, was not thoroughly engaging. Most similar to a bhajan is perhaps the easy-listening “Prabhu - Tum Se Tumhi Ko Maangun”. Traditional lyrics are juxtaposed against soft pop in “Mere Ram” which has stellar back-up vocals. But the pick of the album has to be “Bolo Om”, without a doubt. It’s melodiously mild with no vocal heroics that create a serene aura. A must-hear track. The last number on the album, “Sheranvali Maa” is a song of praise which is not something we haven’t heard before. But back-up vocals and clever lyrics make it a stuck-in-your head tune.

Here’s an album that should be heard because the band manages to explore the devotional genre exactly the way it should be, with fun and respect. It might not set music charts on fire but it brilliantly showcases the band and its versatility. Thumbs up. Rohwit.

CD Reviews

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The Flower Lane Ducktails, 120 on iTunes

CD of the fortnight

Press Play Adnan Sami, 99 on Flyte

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Adnan Sami is back with the 11-track long Press Play.The first song “Ali Ali” is fast and the guitar riffs (along with the harmonium)

create a distinct sound. The contemporary “Roya” has a brilliant start, engaging from the beginning but towards the end it’s lacking in that pull and plummets to average. While listening to the catchy “Mere Baap Ka Kya Jaata Hai”, you can conjure up its own fun video in your head. On the fast and mischievous “Kudi Tight”, Sami for the first time sings about chasing girls. The slow “Main Tere Paas Hun” comes just around the half-way mark as a break. Sami seems to come into his own here, with his soulful rendition of an emotional track. The use of the santoor stands out on “Main Tere…”.

In a similar vein is “Karun Na Yaad” which employs heavy sitar and sarangi work aided by Sami’s melancholic voice. The English bits thrown here and there don’t seem forced at all. Connecting with the loss of a parent is “Baba” with its use of the flute that tugs at heartstrings. The song’s different voices recall a choir giving it a unique effect. “Dua de” falls short of creating a romantic atmosphere despite the use of the saxophone. But the clear winner here is the two-minute “The Azaan” which is sheer bliss transporting the listener to a tranquil setting.

The “Ali Ali” remix is treated with uniform beats and there is nothing much to look forward to. On the other hand, “Roya”’s remix is treated well and could be a good track to dance to. Overall, it’s an average album from an immensely talented artist. Rohwit.

The Joy Formidable Wolf’s Law, 50 on iTunes

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Packed with distorted guitars, thumping rhythms and sledgehammer choruses, this Welsh trio’s second

album should, by rights, be a barnstorming alternative rock record – but it’s a frustrating listen.

Wolf’s Law opens with two towering singles, “This Ladder is Ours” and “Cholla”, and follows them up with some thrashing yet brilliantly crafted tracks, particularly “Little Blimp” and the super-heavy “Maw Maw Song”. There’s even a rare example here of a mid-album acoustic take – “Silent Treatment” – that doesn’t scream “skip me”.

But widespread overproduction means the rest of the record blows past without making much of an impact. The songs here should have been served raw. As it they’re limp and soggy. Without any live crunch they sound like the sort of commercial and bombastic sub-Led Zeppelinisms that you’d expect from Biffy Clyro. Sadly, no matter how loud you play ‘Wolf’s Law’, it’s going to give you more bark than bite. James Manning

Music

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Sat Feb 16FREE National Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA) Bandra station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. As part of the NSPA’s efforts to promote culture in Mumbai’s public spaces, the organisation has now started scheduling five acts per day, two in the morning and three in the evening. The morning sees instrumental performances by flautist Geet Anand after which tabla player Rahul Bakshi takes the mic. Violinist Vishwanath Ramaswamy and mridangam player K Dakshinamurthy begin the evening with Carnatic music. Next is alternative rock trio Promiseland comprising of Nikhil Nair, Kevin Sissoko and Nazar Dukhari. Lastly, Neeraj Arya will perform with his acoustic guitar.

Mon Feb 18FREE NSPA Churchgate station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. The first half of the morning’s session is with Three Crossing Tracks – vocalists Aditi Nerurkar and Shilpa Sutar and djembe player Nitesh More. A solo by More is the concluding act. In the evening, folk music from Uttarakhand by Suresh Kala, Neeraj Arya with his acoustic guitar and Virendra Rajoriya and Pradeep Sode playing folk music are the three performing acts.

Wed Feb 20FREE NSPA Borivali station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. The morning sees instrumental performances by flautist Geet Anand after which tabla player Rahul Bakshi takes the mic. In the evening, the three acts are Daniel Coutinho on guitar with vocalist Shaun D’souza; djembe player Nitesh More with tabla player Rahul Bakshi

Blue Frog, 9pm; 350. It’s praise and worship for Open Secret, a Christian rock band.

Mon Feb 25FREE NSPA Churchagte station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. Djembe player Nitesh More kicks off the Monday music morning. He is followed by singer Smit Dharia and tabla player Rahul Bakshi. The evening’s acts include hip hop group Trippin Truth with vocalist Aklesh Sutar and beat boxers Nagesh Reddy and Raj; Three’s Company members - violinist Roger Mendonca and guitarist Daniel Coutinho; with Coutinho performing a second set with singer Shaun D’souza.

Tue Feb 26Ek Safar Blue Frog, 9pm; 350. The fusion act from Germany comprises Heiner Stilz on clarinet, Nicolas Schulze on piano and Soumitra Paul on tabla.

Wed Feb 27FREE NSPA Borivali station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. Flautist Sachin Jain and singer Achchai Pandey form the two acts of the morning. After sunset, singer Pratyul Joshi; djembe player Nitesh More and tabla player Rahul Bakshi; and Neeraj Arya and his guitar form the three acts.

Zarir Warden Ellipsis, 9pm; `1,000 (redeemable cover charge). The Other People’s lead vocalist will take the stage.

Thomson Andrews Blue Frog, 9pm; `350. Travel back in time tonight with Andrews’ renditions of Motown, soul and funky hits.

Thur Feb 28Duncun Rufus Hard Rock Café, 8.30pm; call venue for entry details. The five-member Mumbai band play contemporary pop and folk rock. Duncun Rufus is Lima Yanger on vocals, Hitesh Dhutia on guitars, Vinay Lobo on guitars, JD on bass and Gaute Johannesen on drums

Under The Influence Blue Frog, 9pm; 350. This alternative two-member band is Abhijit Lahiri on vocals and Ashutosh Thatte on piano. Their style ranges from rock, pop, funk to electronica.

and folk singer Achchai Pandey.Aazin Printer Ellipsis, 9pm; ` 1,000 (redeemable cover charge). The former Something Relevant vocalist will perform.

EDIToR’S PIck Slow Down clown Blue Frog, 9pm; 500 cover charge. What started at Vitek Goyel’s bedroom project in New York has now evolved into a four-member alternative act transcending rock, punk and even folk. Tonight, the band officially launch their latest album Forget the Night. They will play their old and new songs against a background of an “audio visual performance”.

Suchitra Pillai Cheval, 9.30pm; `300 (redeemable for a beer). For the second time this month, Suchitra Pillai and her band will perform both Hindi and English pop.

Thur Feb 21All Star Tribute to the Rolling Stones Hard Rock Café, 8.30pm; call venue for entry details. Delhi’s best musicians are all set to pay homage to The Beatles’ rivals.

EDIToR’S PIck Blue Blooded + overdrive Trio Blue Frog, 9pm; `350. It’s a blues night with four-member band Blue Blooded and Overdrive Trio.

Sat Feb 23FREE NSPA Bandra station; 9-11am, 5-8pm. Three Crossing Tracks with vocalists Aditi Nerurkar and Shilpa Sutar and djembe player Nitesh More followed by violinist Vishwanath Ramaswamy and mridangam player K Dakshinamurthy are slotted for the morning’s acts. Hip hop group Trippin Truth comprising rapper Aklesh Sutar and beat boxers Nagesh Reddy and Raj begin the evening’s session. The two acts after them are singer Smit Dharia with tabla player Rahul Bakshi; and two memebers of the band Three’s Company – violinist Roger Mendonca, guitarist Daniel Coutinho.

Retro Night Blue Frog, 9pm; 600. The six-member act The Other People will perform. This is followed by DJ Ruskin concluding the evening.

Sun Feb 24Gospel Night with open Secret

Events are listed by type of music and date. Addresses are included in the Venues A-Z section at the end of the listings. These listings were accurate at the time of going to print but please call the organis-er or venue to confirm the details in case of changes.G denotes the nearest train station. denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listed Submit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Deborah Cornelious. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fort-nightly publication, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


Gigs FestivalsMahindra Blues Festival It’s that time of the year again when the city gets a much-needed dose of some good ol’ blues. Like before, this edition will feature some of the best international and local musicians. Tickets are available for 2,000 (one day passes), 3,500 (season tickets), `11,000 (premium lounge that includes unlimited beverages, seating and complimentary DVD of last year’s festival). A special brunch on day two comes at the price of ,250 which includes food and drinks. See Colour me blue on page 82. Mehboob Studios.

Sat Feb 16Vivienne Pocha Stage 1, 6.30pm. Pocha is no stranger to the city’s blues circuit. She will perform her signature mix of old-school and modern songs with her band.

Soulmate Stage 3, 7.30pm. The Shillong-based duo of Rudy Wallang on guitar and Tipriti “Tips” Kharbangar on vocals and guitar.

Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers Stage 3, 8.45 pm. Led by the American blues singer Thackery, this trio will perform.

Walter Trout & The Radicals Stage 3, 10.30pm. The blues guitarist, singer and songwriter will lead his Radicals in the last performance of the evening.

Sun Feb 17FREE Blues Workshop Stage 2, 10.30am. British Michael Messer & The Second Mind Band will conduct this workshop.

The Garden Stage 2, 1pm. Eat, drink and be merry while Michael Messer & The Second Mind Band perform.

Big Bang Blues Stage 1, 5pm. The six-member act from New Delhi will perform.

Dana Fuchs Stage 1, 6.15pm. Fuchs is a singer, actor and songwriter will performs.

Popa chubby Stage 1, 8pm. Popa Chubby aka Ted Horowitz, the American electric blues singer will take the mic.

Robert Randolph & The Family Band Stage 3, 10pm. The American funk and soul band is the headlining act of the festival.

VenuesBlue Frog New Mahalaxmi Mills Compound, opposite Empire Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4033-2300). G Lower Parel (WR). Kamala Mills.

cheval First floor, 145 Mahatma Gandhi Road, next to Rhythm House, Fort (4039-6632). G CST (CR Main & Harbour). Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Chowk.

Ellipses B-1 Amarchand Mansion, 16 Madam Cama Road, Colaba. (6621-3333). G CST (CR Main & Harbour). Shyam Prasad Mukherjee Chowk.

Mehboob Studios 100 Hill Road, near St Peter’s Church, Bandra (W) (2642-1628). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). Mehboob Studio.

They've got the blues Soulmate

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Mus

ic This fortnight sitar guru Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan will turn 85 years old. His

life and contribution to music will be honoured in a concert with performances by eminent musicians from the city. Khan, the youngest of the “Sitar Trinity” of India along with Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan, was born in 1929, in Jawra, Madhya Pradesh. His father Jaffer Khan was a versatile vocalist and sitarist too. Shankar wrote about his relationship with his contemporary, “Myself and Bhai Vilayat Khan have been able to broaden the spectrum of sitar playing and have been able to create an appetite and expectation within listeners for more variety.” Sitar player Shankar Abhyankar recalled the sitar festival at the JJ School of Art in 1958, when the trinity were

to perform. “On the third day, an opinion poll was taken and the music lovers were asked their preference for a repeat concert by anyone of the three sitarists. The verdict went in favour of Halim Jaffer Khan.” Contemporary artistes like celebrated flautist Nityanand Haldipur admire the sitarist. “[Khan]’s stupendous command of the sitar made him stand apart and shine on his own. The AIR offered him a special National Programme which was broadcast from all the stations in 1952 when he was only 24.” Haldipur continued, “This was a rare distinction. He had played the raga chhayanat which is never attempted on the sitar. And his

performance became the talk of the music loving community from all over the country.” Khan is perhaps best known for his

innovation, the Jafferkhani baaj, a style he described as, “a synthesis of precision in technique, systematic thought”. In an interview with Time Out, Khan explained “My research has led me to some new discoveries. For instance, several

notes can be played with one stroke of the mizrab (plectrum). He continued, “My style involves simultaneous use of two or three strings. The left hand is engaged in much more activity which results in better synchronisation between two hands and produces echoes.”

The upcoming concert will begin with a tabla jugalbandi between two senior tabla players Shabbir Nisar and Nayan Ghosh. They will play the 16-beat teen taal. The Mumbai-born Ghosh who plays in the traditional Farrukhabad style is also an able sitar player. He has received training from his father Nikhil Ghosh as well as legendary tabla maestro Ahmed Jan Thirakwa. Ghosh’s training began at the age of four and by 18, he was already touring the world. Playing alongside is Nisar, the son of the famous tabla maestro Shaikh Dawood. While performing, Nisar will employ the “Purab baaj”, a style of tabla originating in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. Nisar’s father developed the special technique of playing the left drum by using the first and middle fingers to produce resonance. Nisar currently heads a school of music in Hyderabad where tabla and vocal music is taught. There will also be a performance by leading vocalist Shubha Mudgal who has been hailed for her multi-dimensional approach to music. Mudgal began performing Hindustani classical music in the ’80s but a decade later began experimenting with fusion and even pop. Santoor wizard Shivkumar Sharma will conclude the evening with a performance. Sharma said, “It is creditable that Halim Jaffer could make his mark with a distinctive style when Vilayat Khan and Ravi Shankar, the two towering sitarists, were dominating the scene.” Sharma, who will perform at the upcoming concert, entered the Hindi film industry contributing to the soundtrack of the 1955 V Shantaram movie, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje. Incidentally, the two met because Khan was working on the film’s background score. Sharma has been credited for changing people’s perceptions of the santoor which was earlier only considered fit for folk music or films. For the tribute concert, Sharma will play the bageshri, a raga thought to be a lovely night-time melody. Sharma, with his specially designed tongs lightly brushes the strings and produces a tremolo effect which is incredibly sweet and melodious. He will be accompanied on the tabla by Yogesh Samsi, who has received tutelage from the legendary Alla Rakha Khan for 23 years.

[Khan]’s stupendous command of the sitar made him

stand apart

Rangsharada Sat 23 Feb. See Concerts.

Sitar hero

classical

Amarendra Dhaneshwar reports on a concert that pays tribute to sitar maestro Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan.

Tabla tales Nayan Ghosh

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Music

Chennai’s Margazhi music festival in December features 3,000 music concerts with over 1,000 musicians. In Mumbai, the Fine Arts Society, Chembur has been trying their best to replicate the South Indian musical extravaganza through their own Carnatic Sangeeta Vizha, the annual festival scheduled this fortnight. “It is an annual event basically to cater to Carnatic audiences after the conclusion of the Margazhi festival in Chennai,”

explained R Radhakrishnan, president of the Fine Arts Society. The-three day affair will feature vocalists like the Priya Sisters, Ranjani-Gayatri and P Unnikrishnan.

The Priya Sisters, Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya,

will open the festival with a vocal performance. The siblings, known for singing in absolute unison, initially learnt Carnatic

music from their father VV Subbaram. They

then received advanced training under renowned

vocalist duo Radha and Jayalakshmi (who taught them voice modulation),

disciples of the maestro GN Balasubramaniam. They have also studied under TR Subramaniam who trained them to work on the pallavi. “Each of our gurus has helped

us in shaping

ourselves as vocalists,” said Haripriya. “Alongside, you need to imbibe as much as you can.” Although they began in 1989, the big break came when they performed at the Spirit of Unity Concert in 1990.

The second day of Carnatic Sangeeta Vizha will see Ranjani and Gayatri, well-known singers who have learned the violin from TS Krishnaswami at Shanmukhananda Sangeeta Vidyalaya. The duo actually began their career as violin duet performers and later as accompanists to leading musicians, but an overwhelming response to their vocal concerts made the violin to take a back-seat. “The violin sensitised us to so many of the finer aspects of music such as purity of sound, pitching, sruti, swara sense and emoting through music without the prop of lyrics,” said Gayatri. In 1993 after they shifted to Chennai from Mumbai they commenced vocal training under PS Narayanaswamy and have been giving vocal performances since 1997. Ranjani-Gayatri, originally residents of Mumbai,

will include a ragam, tanam pallavi, a ragamalika virutham and a Marathi abhang among other compositions. They will be accompanied by HN Bhaskar on the violin, K Arunprakash on the mridangam and N Guruprasad on the ghatam.

P Unnikrishnan, a renowned Carnatic vocalist and playback singer will conclude the festival. His mother Harini Radhakrishnan was his first guru and he began formal training under VL Sheshadri and then moved to another guru S Ramanathan. Subsequently, he continued training under Savithri Sathyiamurthy, a senior disciple of Ramanathan. He also went through a six-month long training in the Veena Dhannamal bani style conducted by renowned musicians – T Brinda and T Vishwanathan. An established playback singer for Tamil and Malayalam films, he also collaborates with musicians in fusion concerts. Latha Venkatraman

Carnatic Sangeeta Vizha

It’s been a year since sitar player Shamim Ahmed Khan passed away and this fortnight, his contribution to music will be honoured with a memorial concert. An accomplished sitarist of the Maihar gharana, it was Khan’s amiable nature that helped him forge bonds with musicians of all gharanas. “The world of music is full of unspoken rivalries, biases and grudges. It [was] a relief to find someone like Shamim Ahmed Khan who was on cordial terms with all and sundry,” said classical singer Neela Bhagwat of the Gwalior gharana.

Born in Vadodara in 1938, Khan was the son of Ghulam Rasul Khan, the principal of a music college. Rasul Khan too was a musician – a harmonium player who would often accompany vocalists of the calibre of Faiyaz Khan. Like his father, Ahmed Khan would have become a singer, but destiny willed otherwise. “My father was a child artiste as a singer,” said Ahmed Khan’s son Ahsan who is a young exponent

of the Agra gharana. “At the age of nine, he developed a throat infection which [damaged] his voice and he had to give up singing.” Ahmed Khan then dedicated his life to perfecting the sitar. After listening to a radio performance by celebrated sitarist Ravi Shankar, Ahmed Khan decided to become his pupil. “A grand ceremony was arranged in Delhi in the late 1950s, where eminent musicians were present and Ravi Shankar accepted him formally as his disciple,” said Ahsan Ahmed. In 1966, Shankar took him along to San Francisco where he set up a school of music.

The upcoming concert will see performances by Alla Rakha Khan’s son, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, santoor player Shivkumar Sharma and sitar player Nayan Ghosh. There will also be a session by sarod player Rajiv Taranath. The Bengaluru-born Taranath, the senior pupil of Ali Akbar Khan, has a doctorate in English literature but he chose to pursue his passion, music.

Taranath has also served as the head of the Indian music programme at the World Music Department of the California Institute of the Arts. “Like Shamim, I also belong to the Maihar gharana and wish to salute his memory through my recital,”

said Taranath. There will also be a segment with Ahmed Khan’s old video recordings. Amarendra Dhaneshwar

Shamim Ahmed Khan

Pho

ToG

raPh

erS

Cred

iT

Nehru centreSat Feb 16. See Concerts.

Sivaswamy AuditoriumFri Feb 15. See Concerts.

Strumming it rajiv Taranath

Sari sisters ranjani and Gayatri

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ConcertsTo know how to use this section, refer to Gigs listings.

Fri Feb 15FREE Music in cinema Max Mueller Bhavan, 6.30pm. Lecture: As part of the venue’s exhibition celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema, musician N Dhanaswar, will act as guide to the music in films of the century.

Sat Feb 16EDIToR’S PIck Shamim Ahmed khan tribute Nehru Centre, 6.30pm; call venue for entry details. Tabla guru Zakir Hussain, santoor player Sivkumar Sharma, sitar player Nayan Ghosh and sarod player Rajiv Taranath will honour Khan. See Shamim Ahmed Khan on page 87.

Sun Feb 17opera Screening NCPA, 10am and 2.30pm; 500. In association with the New York Metropolitan Opera, NCPA presents screenings for the city’s opera buffs. This time, it’s the tragic opera in two acts Maria Stuarda –Donizetti by Gaetano Donizetti. It’s set to a libretto by Giuseppe Bardar.

FREE Mr and Mrs BS Mutth Sheila Raheja Hall, 5pm. Carnatic: Surburban Music Circle, a group of music enthusiasts organise this violin performance by the husband and wife duo.

EDIToR’S PIck Symphony orchestra of India (SoI) NCPA, 7pm; 800, 1,200, 1,600, 2,000. The fourteenth season of the SOI is already underway and the second concert sees performances of Reznicek’s overture to Donna Diana, Brahms’ D minor Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s glorious Fifth symphony.

FREE P Madhukar Jayanti Samaroh 2013 Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya, 4.30pm. Hindustani: It’s a day of music with solo performances by harmonium players Unmesh Khaire and Tulsidas Borkar, sarangi player Farooque Latif and vocalist Aparna Kelkar.

Mon Feb 18EDIToR’S PIck oberon Trio NCPA, 7pm; 300, 500. Western classical: Formed in 2006, the trio comprising violinists Henja Semmler and Antoaneta Emanuilova and pianist Jonathan Aner will perform compositions by Haydn, Brahms and Shostakovich.

Tue Feb 19EDIToR’S PIck SoI NCPA, 7pm; `800, 1,200, 1,600, 2,000. The chamber is a usual part of the SOI’s season. It makes a return this year with a concert that will see this season’s soloists – violinist Marat Bisengaliev, pianist Benjamin Frith and cellist Boris Baraz – perform Mozart’s Sonata for piano and violin K 305, Strauss’s Sonata for violin and piano and Mendelssohn’s piano trio No 1.

Wed Feb 20FREE Indudhar Nirodi Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre, 6pm. Hindustani: The khayal and dhrupad singer will perform.

Thur Feb 21FREE kushal Das + Florian Schiertz Max Mueller Bhavan, 6.30pm. The concert is part of the venue’s exhibition celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema. The Indian sitar player, Das, will be accompanied by German Schiertz on the tabla.

Avishkar Nehru Centre, 7pm; call venue for entry details. Hindustani: An evening of music and dance organised by Pancham Nishad, an events company. There will be performances by tabla player Anindo Chatterjee of the Farukhabad gharana, vocalists Kaushiki Chakrabarty and Sandeep Mahavir, and pakhawaj player Bhawani Shankar.

Fri Feb 22Teen Prahar Nehru Centre 5.30pm; call venue for entry details. Hindustani classical: Banyan Tree events presents a concert with musicians like Chaanulal Mishra, Ramkumar Mishra, Talveen Singh, Purbayan Chatterjee, R Ganesh, Debashish Bhattacharya and Shahshank.

FREE chandrasekhar Phanse Kamla Nehru Park, 6.30pm. Hindustani: Sitar player Phanse will perform.

FREE Sadanand Naimpally and Farooque Latif khan + Abhay Phagre and Ashwini Deshpande Ravindra Natya Mandir, 6.30pm. The four musicians will participate in a concert with vocals, sarangi, flute and tabla.

Umang Series NCPA, 6.30pm; first-come-first served-basis. Hindustani classical: Classical guitarist Deepak Kshirsagar and vocalist Sraboni Chaudhury will perform.

EDIToR’S PIck SoI NCPA, 7pm; `800, 1,200, 1,600, 2,000. All concerts of this season lead up to this one. The orchestra will perform Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmilla overture and Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto. In an epic finale, banjo

Critics’ choiceThe two best shows this fortnight

Mahindra Blues Festivl Mehboob Studios Six international headliners and three indian bands will perform at this edition of the festival. Sat Feb 16

Symphony orchestra of India NCPAThe fourteenth season of the SOI begins this fortnight. Sat Feb 16

player Bela Fleck, double bass player Edgar Meyer and tabla player Zakir Hussain will perform “Melody of Rhythm”.

Sat Feb 23EDIToR’S PIck FREE Abdul Halim Jaffer khan tribute Rangsharda, 6pm. Musicians from the city will pay tribute to the sitar maestro who will be turning 85 years this fortnight. See Sitar hero on page 86.

Sun Feb 24FREE Pratahswar Ravindra Natya mandir, 6.30am. Sarod player Tejinder Narayan Majumdar will perform in this morning raga concert.

FREE Amita Gokhle Karnataka Sangha, 10am. The vocalist will perform.

FREE Ninaad Deo + Mrundinayaaa Pathak Dadar Matuga Cultural Centre, 5pm. Hindustani: The two vocalists will perform.

FREE Ram krishna Das Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangha Mandir, 6pm. Hindustani: Swar Sadhana Samiti’s monthly programme features a vocal performance by Das along with an instrumental performance by students of the Victoria Memorial School of the Blind and an Odissi dance performance by students of Nivedita Mukherjee’s Aratrika Institute of Performing Arts.

FREE Rhythm concert SPJIMR, 7pm. Percussion masters Taufique Qureshi, Yogesh Samsi, Ranjit Barot and Sridhar Parthasarthy will perform in a unique instrumental concert this evening.

FestivalsFREE carnatic Sangeeta VizhaFine Arts Society, Chembur presents a three-day Carnatic vocal music festival. See Carnatic Sangeeta Vizha on page 87.

Fri Feb 15Priya Sisters Sivaswamy Auditorium, 7.30pm. The vocalist sisters, Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya, renowned for sining in

unison, will perform.

Sat Feb 16Ranjani and Gayatri Sivaswamy Auditorium, 6.30pm. The siblings who have also been trained in the violin will sing.

Sun Feb 17P Unnikrishnan Sivaswamy Auditorium, 6.05pm. The vocalist and playback singer will perform.

VenuesDadar Matunga cultural centre 122A, JK Sawant Marg, near Ruparel College, opposite Mumbai Glasswork, Matunga (2430-4150). G Matunga Road (WR), Matunga (CR Main). City Light.

kamla Nehru Park BG Kher Road, Malabar Hill G Grant Road (WR). Kamla Nehru Park.

karnataka Sangha Vishveshawarayya Smarak Mandir, CHM Marg, Matunga (W) (2437-7022). G Matunga Road (WR), Matunga (CR Main). Matunga Road Station.

Max Mueller Bhavan Goethe-Institut, K Dubash Marg, Kala Ghoda, Colaba (2202-7710). G Churchgate (WR). Regal Cinema.

Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangha Mandir Dr Bhalerao Marg, near St Mary’s High School, Gaiwadi, Girgaum (2385-6303). G Charni Road (WR). Gaiwadi.

National centre for the Performing Arts NCPA Marg, near Hilton Towers, Nariman Point (6622-3737). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). Nariman Point.

Nehru centre Auditorium Annie Besant Road, near Shiv Sagar Estate, Worli (2496-4680). G Mahalaxmi (WR). Nehru Planetarium.

Rangsharda Auditorium Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (W) (2640-1919). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour) Lilavati Hospital.

Ravindra Natya Mandir PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy, Sayani Road, near Siddhivinayak Mandir, Prabhadevi (2431-2956). G Dadar (WR), Parel (CR Main). Siddhivinayak Mandir. Sharda Sangeet Vidyalaya Nadbrahma Mandir, near Kala Nagar, Madhusudan Kalelkar Marg, Bandra (E) (2659-0433). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). Kala Nagar.

Sheila Raheja Hall Rotary Service Centre, junction of Juhu Road and Juhu Tara Road, Santa Cruz (W). G Santa Cruz (WR, CR Harbour). Juhu Koliwada.

Sivaswamy Auditorium The Fine Arts Society, Fine Arts Chowk, near Chembur Flyover, RC Marg, Chembur (2522-2988). G Chembur (CR Harbour). Fine Arts Chowk.

SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Auditorium Bhavan’s College Campus, Dadabhai Road, Munshi Nagar, Andheri (W) (2623-7454). G Andheri (WR, CR Harbour). Navrang Cinema.

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When a musician calls himself a “storytella and a funkyfella”, “the

wolf-king of dance mountain”, “the man that fun never forgot” and dabbles with make-up, you might guess that he’s an incurable attention-seeker. Besides all the self-aggrandising and swagger, a listen to a couple of his tracks proves that Tiga Sontag James’ music is equally as heterodox.

Having spent most of his formative years in Goa watching his father DJ at raves in the sea-side party state, the Montreal-born DJ, producer and record label owner set out to transform the scene in his native city in the 1990s. After years of organising parties, churning out popular remixes of “Sunglasses At Night” and “Hot in Herre” at clubs back home, and collaborating with Zombie Nation under the alias ZZT, James finally released his own album Sexor in 2006 and subsequently Ciao! in 2009.

His adventures didn’t end there. James also hosted the radio show

My Name is Tiga on BBC Radio 6 and toured the world performing at festivals like Electric Zoo in New York. Now 38, he continues to strut through the jungle of elec-tronic music with more eccentri- city than grace. “I was also brave enough to visit the Middle East, with a harrowing trip to war- ravaged Dubai,” he wrote, in his own bio. “I was taken falconing and I found out that the falcons undergo extensive plastic surgery to look more like celebrities. My falcon was supposed to resemble Ethan Hawke. I don’t know who that is.”

We corresponded with Tiga over email about his years in India, his experiment with films and the other things that lie behind his heavily kohled eyes and provocative tunes.

You spent a lot of your childhood years in Goa and your father was a DJ on the rave scene there. Tell us about that experience.It was my childhood and it was magical. I lived half my years in

Goa, and the other half in Canada: so I constantly had these two very different worlds in my head. I loved Goa, loved the freedom and that way of life. I grew up very much like a local. The parties and the “adult” scene were also inspiring, indirectly I guess I got to see party culture up close from a very young age.

What kind of music did you listen to growing up? I think the music of the ’80s was the biggest influence early on. Duran Duran (I bought that cassette at the old Taj Hotel in Mumbai I think), Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, etc. When I was younger I liked Blondie, Rod Stewart, Hank Williams. As I got older it moved into some industrial, then KLF, then NIN, then I found techno.

What usually inspires you to make music? Especially songs like “Plush” and “Shoes”, which set you apart. Where do these come from?It’s difficult to say what inspires

me. I think I have quite a diverse taste in music, literature, movies, in general; and that wide scope inspires what I make. It often involves bits and pieces from areas or elements that are not meant to go together. I try to be fearless in that respect, and to utterly disregard what I am sup-posed to do. It doesn’t always work. Specifically, with songs like “Plush” or “Shoes”, I guess I am always looking for a hybrid of pop and club music, and it always has to have a techno foundation. The lyrics, not sure… they just appear in my head.

Tell us about your album Ciao! Any stories behind the name?I always felt great in Italy, and just felt that that one word had a very naive, and universal meaning to it. A welcome. A farewell.

You have ventured into different artistic fields – for example, your role in the film Ivory Tower. How did that come about, and do you plan to get into film more seriously?That came about because me and my friend Gonzales were playing a lot of chess and then he, in his typical fashion, decided to make a movie and an album inspired by chess. He sent me a script, asked if I wanted to play his brother. I said yes and wrote my lines. It was so much fun, and yes, I would do more film and writing work in the future.

What can we expect from you in the future? Any dream collaborations?I hope to have my third studio album done this year: then a big world tour to follow. Dream collaborations? Daft Punk maybe? Or Prince.

How does it feel to perform in India after all these years? Any place or memory you’d like to revisit, or any new expectations from the country?This will be my first time playing shows in India, so I’m not sure what to expect. I’m sure it will be very different from the local chai shops and 17 bhaji I am used to. I visit almost every year (as a tour-ist) and I love India… I feel more at home in India than anywhere else in the world: as soon as the plane touches down, I feel alive!

Tiga performs on Fri Feb 15 at Blue Frog. See DJ Listings.

Nightlife

Wild catTechno DJ and producer Tiga revisits India to rave in the country that inspired his partying ways, finds Asmita Bakshi.

Rhythm and mews Tiga


v9i13_Nightlife 002.indd 89 2/8/2013 9:38:21 PM


The Big Bang Bar & Café Kenilworth Building, third floor, off Linking Road, Bandra (2600-8833). Daily 6pm-1.30am. All major cards.

Enigma JW Marriott, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu (6693-3288). Fri- Sat 10 pm-2.45 am.

The Big Bang Bar & Café Enigma

Maybe we should wait a bit to pronounce the verdict, but we found Bandra’s latest rooftop bar to be quite the oxymoron. The owners should really consider dropping “Bang” from the name of this al fresco café-cum-bar located above Kofuku and KFC. Brought to you by the folks behind Bandra Reclamation’s Masalazone is this equally nondescript place with only a clichéd green-bottle back-wall bar and vintage tiling by way of decoration. Possibly the bar’s (can it be called a café if it opens at 6pm?) biggest selling point are two open air seating sections – straddled on either side of an enclosed, dimly-lit dining area.

And so, even though our evening started out on a peppy note, thanks to the wonderful weather, things post the introductory, “great location, ample space, reasonable pricing” went straight to hell. The month-old bar, we were informed by our continually grunting waiter, opened (no surprise) without any fanfare. We settled in to flip-flop through the clipboard menu.

In the first round, we ordered a Golden Dawn (`375), a muddled concoction of malta, oranges, vodka and mint, and the classic caprioska (`375). We needn’t have bothered ordering separate drinks – they both tasted the same, sickly sweet. PS: the former was also responsible for imparting a seizure-like brain freeze. Remedial measures came in the guise of a hot toddy (`375), which was just awful.

In a bid to salvage the drinks

When I was just a wee teenybopper, Enigma was the place to party at in the ’burbs. Now, as a somewhat mature adult, I stepped into the JW Marriott, giddy about the re-launched club; images of the good ol’ days spent there boogeying to Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” flooding into my head. The sign at the entrance, announcing “Enigma: Never The Same”, should have warned us.

The scene inside was utterly confusing. Had we walked into a rowdy Catholic wedding? We met a sea of senior citizens, a few corporate-types and couples jiving to “My Sharona” played by a live band. Yes, “My Sharona” that only ever plays at the forgotten end of a playlist at house parties; no sexy Beyoncé moves here. The only thing that seemed to have remained unchanged was the alarming number of sleazy uncles.

Things might change for the better with a drink or two inside us, we thought, and hit the bar. The selection of drinks was on par with Marriott’s standards: extensive and expensive. Hallelujah for cover charges though; we got two drinks per person with the 2,000 entry. The cover charge, however, could not have got us the pretty bottle of Roberto Cavalli vodka (`3,000), so we had to be content with leering at it, and opted for an Enigma Sling (`800) and a Jägerbomb (`700) instead. The friendly and helpful bartenders recommended we try the Absinthe Depthcharge (`700) – a shot of

situation we turned to food, but there too disappointments swiftly follow. The menu is littered with industrial bar snacks, either fried or tandoor-grilled, so we pick the kheema pav (`279) and “Caju” (Cajun) chicken tender (`279). In retrospect, we should have cut our losses and moved on because to say that the kheema looked like runny remains, would be…kind. The much-pimped “Caju chicken” failed to make an exit out of the kitchen and onto our table.

Positively pissed off, we paid up and made our way to inspect the loo, but not before we had a word with the in-house DJ on his questionable music choices. “Before 11pm it’s rock and after, it’s house,” he says. To say that he didn’t take too well to our, “Rock died in the ’80s” jibe is an understatement. On a serious note, in a decade where Mumbaikars are willing to pay big bucks and brave monstrous traffic jams for a good time, we couldn’t quite come to terms with why the owners would want to waste moolah on a DJ that plays Duran Duran and Metallica. Because really, The Ghetto and Toto’s manage fine with a PC set-list.

A complete lack of attention to service aside, The Big Bang is a charming spot, with reasonably priced alcohol and a buy-two, get-one free (on most drinks) Happy Hour deal. It can be a somewhat OK place for post-work spirits when you need a break from Bonobo – if it doesn’t shut down with a whimper before that. Jharna Thakkar

absinthe in a glass of energy drink. They mix it with a dodgy-looking liquid named Restless, but the apprehension on our faces was enough for them to switch it with Red Bull. We ended on a high note with an Electric Iced Tea (`800), heavily loaded with vodka.

We were told that after the live performance by the band, Enigma would return to being a nightclub, so we stuck around by the bar. For midnight munchies we ordered the Gardenia Pizza (`500). The clock struck 1am, the band folded and there was still no sign of our pizza. Finally, 30 minutes later, it arrived, peppered with tiny, wilted bits of zucchini and mushroom. If we ever visit again, which seems unlikely, we’re heading to the Lotus Café outside for more efficient service.

The success of Blue Frog and The Comedy Store has likely nudged Enigma into furthering the “living room” vibe – they are introducing bands, stand-up comedians and other live acts to their entertainment line-up. This new identity appears to be a force-fit. The decor has a lot to live up to: the nightclub’s VIP section is littered with shabby pastel-coloured couches, and the lighting is harshly bright. Maybe they are yet to find their groove again, but for old-timers like us, Enigma’s transition into a sad, schizophrenic shadow of its former self, remains a mystery. Vijayeta Basu

Drinks and giggles Patrons at The Big Bang Bar & Cafe

Boogie lights Enigma's new dance floor also accommodates bands

Verdict Worth one visit just to check the place out.

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Nightlife


Fri Feb 15TripShot Crew Cool Chef Cafe, 10pm, call venue for details.

TripShot Crew is a DJ collective that plays dubstep, drum ’n’ bass and glitch hop.

EDITOR’S PICK Tiga and Amber Noel Blue Frog, 10.30pm, call venue for details.

Montreal-born DJ and producer, Tiga will spin a mix of tech-house, electro and acid house.

DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details.

Aer’s resident DJ plays his special mix of upbeat jazz, funk, house, club as well as retro classics from the ’80s and ’90s.

FREE Video Gaga Shiro, 9pm.Inspired by the Queen classic “Radio Gaga”, DJ Bala will remind you of yesteryear with videos of retro hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

Sat Feb 16EDITOR’S PICK Nifra (Armada Trance), Lost Stories and Anish Sood Blue Frog, 10.30pm, call venue for details.

Nifra, signed to Armin Van Burren’s record label, is sure to bring the house down with his progressive house and trance tracks. This is followed by Lost

Stories and Anish Sood who will be playing an infectious electro-house set.

FREE DJ Ronae Acey Shiro, 10pm.Enjoy the best commercial tunes, handpicked by DJ Ronae Acey, that are sure to keep you on the dance floor.

DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

DJs Gavin and Amit B Hype, 10pm, call venue for entry prices.

Groove to DJs Gavin and Amit B’s mixes of Bollywood and House tunes.

Tue Feb 19MyFavDJ Awards Blue Frog, 11pm, call venue for details.

As India’s largest DJ award show, MyFavDJ Awards recognises talented DJs based on votes by fans.

Wed Feb 20DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

Thur Feb 21DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

EDITOR’S PICK AlgoRhythm Ellipsis, 9.30pm, call venue for details.

AlgoRhythm, a Mumbai-based experimental electronic duo will get you moving with their unique blend of retro-funk beats.

EDITOR’S PICK Richie Hawtin Royalty, 9pm, call venue for details.

Berlin-based Richie Hawtin will be playing in Mumbai for this first time. G denotes the nearest train

station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.Submit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Gauri Vij. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, nearest train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publication, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.

If you want to be listed

DJ ListingsHis techno sound shaped the Detroit techno scene of the 1990s. Be prepared to hear him play old favourites from that era as well as the latest club tracks. With a sound and light show in tow, this is not to be missed.

Fri Feb 22EDITOR’S PICK Avalon Blue Frog, 10.30pm, call venue for details.

This psychedelic trance DJ is internationally renowned for his hard-hitting beats, having played at some of the largest festivals including Burning Man, Universo Parallelo and Glade.

DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

Jug Chug Championship The Little Door, 10.30pm, call venue for details.

Be the first to chug a mug of beer without spilling at this monthly beer contest and win yourself a month’s supply of free beer as well as other goodies.

FREE Studio 54 Shiro, 9pm. Kick off the weekend with DJ Ivan’s selection of retro hits.

Sat Feb 23DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

DJ Shiva China House Lounge, 10pm, call venue for details.

DJ Shiva spins the very best of house and electronic to get you grooving.

EDITOR’S PICK FREE Videotheque Shiro, 9pm.

Experience an audio-visual treat with DJ Ivan as he plays the best music

Pounding beats AlgoRhythm plays at Ellipsis

videos of hip-hop, R&B and house tunes, displayed on a large LED screen.

Wed Feb 27DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

Thur Feb 28DJ Fatbat Aer, 9pm, call venue for details. See Fri Feb 15.

EDITOR’S PICK Ox7gen Ellipsis, 9.30pm, call venue for details.

This Mumbai-based DJ recently released his debut album, Any Minute Now, and has already made waves in the music community with his ambient drum ’n’ bass tunes.

VenuesAer Four Seasons Hotel, near Nehru Science Centre, Moses Road, Worli (2481-8000). G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Nehru Science Centre.

Blue Frog New Mahalaxmi Mills Compound, opposite Empire Mills, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4033-2300). G Lower Parel (WR). v Kamala Mills.

China House Grand Hyatt, off Western Express Highway, Santa Cruz (E) (6676- 1234). G Santa Cruz (WR, CR Harbour). v Mumbai University.

Cool Chef Cafe Thadani House, 329/A Worli Village, Worli (3223-1199). G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Worli Village.

Ellipsis B-1 Amarchand Mansion, 16 Madame Cama Road, Next to the YWCA, Colaba (6621-3333). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Golden Gate.

Hype Atria Mall, Fourth Floor, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli (2481-3799). G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Nehru Planetarium.

Royalty Crystal Building, behind ICICI Bank, Waterfield Road, Bandra (W) (4048-7000). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). v Waterfield Road

Shiro Bombay Dyeing Mill Compound, P BudhkarMarg, Lower Parel (6651-1208). G Lower Parel (WR). v Kurne Chowk.

The Little Door Shree Siddhi Vinayak Plaza, off New Link Road, Andheri( W) (2673-2528). G Jogeshwari. v Gundecha Symphony.


German playwright Marius von Mayenburg deftly takes on the brutality of

society’s obsession with physical appearance in his 2007 comedy The Ugly One. Lette’s employer bars him from presenting his new plug at a conference on the premise that he “can’t sell anything with that face”. Lette opts for facial reconstruction surgery, but his transformed visage is so irresistible that men line up at his surgeon’s for the same mug.

Mumbai audiences last watched Mayenburg’s work in 2006 when Pushan Kripalani staged his flagrant tale of an arsonist titled Fireface, and will get a chance to re-enter his world of mayhem this fortnight with Akarsh Khurana’s production of The Ugly One. “I was looking for a script that would give me a certain amount of freedom,” said Khurana. The Ugly One “was a strong text but it was not rigid in its form. It’s written without any stage directions.” As three of the four actors play multiple characters with the same name, Khurana has switched the characters’ Germanic names to alphabets, for the actors’ ease of delivery – Lette is dubbed “K”. The director has also introduced a two-member chorus to enable the “quicksilver transitions” as “the play changes location almost every 20 lines”.

Khurana went more than skin-deep while casting, as he agreed with Mayenburg’s foreword that the script is “really all about perception and the eye of the beholder”. The call struck a chord with Shikha Talsania, who questioned Khurana three weeks into rehearsal about double-casting her as K’s sympathetic wife and ageing mistress. “She considers herself overweight, and she said, ‘For the first time, I’ve been cast in a part where the way that I look is not instrumental to the choice,’” Khurana said. “I wasn’t trying to make a point, it didn’t really matter, but what’s interesting is that now some of the lines have got a whole new dimension.”

The script pushed the actors to embrace its tight pace and sense of comedy. “It’s really poker-faced and slightly off in its sensibility; it has just that touch of surreal, and it took a lot to achieve that in performances,” said Khurana. He is counting on a brief “boot camp” prior to the show to “make sure that everyone’s doing entries and exits and reactions like muscle memory, where it is required”.

The Ugly One will be staged at the NCPA on Fri Feb 15. See English in What’s on Where

Face offAkarsh Khurana puts a scalpel to Marius von Mayenburg’s sharp social satire The Ugly One, says Saumya Ancheri.

Theatre


Martin McDonagh’s scripts are violent, twisted, profane – and set director Kashin Shetty ticking, says Saumya Ancheri.

In Martin McDonagh’s typically macabre A Behanding in Spokane, Carmichael, a one-handed male Caucasian who has been searching for his arm ever since a gang held it under a hurtling train 27 years ago, plots retribution on a couple who pair him with the wrong appendage. The script came under fire most noticeably from The New Yorker for racial slurring, both for the caricaturised portrayal of the black man Toby, and Carmichael’s outburst when the couple offer him a dark-skinned limb. While Behanding isn’t as layered as McDonagh’s other works such as The Pillowman, a dark comedy about a crime novelist suspected for the murders of children, it creates just the sort of gruesome, surreal world that Kashin Shetty likes to conjure on stage. Shetty’s first brush with McDonagh was his adaptation of The Pillowman titled Confessions, which he directed for youth theatre festival Thespo in 2006 and for which he won the best supporting actor award. He spoke to Time Out about going out on a limb for Behanding.

What draws you to staging McDonagh’s world?I love his sense of unpredictability. Even when you read his scripts, the plot changes on literally every page, so I love that quality that he can give to the audience.

The play’s reviews abroad have been quite critical.Yes, and I’ve seen a couple of one-minute video clips online, and it didn’t seem like the same play I’m working on; everything is very over-theatrical for some reason. I’m trying to keep it as real as possible because humour comes from the audience believing that what’s going on is actually happening to those people at that time.

Tell us about casting.I knew Ali Fazal and Prabal Panjabi weren’t always going to be available, so for Carmichael, I’ve double-cast Ali with Hitesh

Malukani, and for [loony receptionist] Morgan, I’ve double-cast Prabal with Adhaar Khurana. When I rehearsed both sets of actors, [I found that] these are two completely different plays. Hitesh and Adhaar are opening on the 21st, their humour is more deadpan, and on the 22nd it is Ali and Prabal, who bring out a quirkier level of Carmichael. There are a lot of things in the play that won’t work if Toby’s anything but black because all that humour wouldn’t be the same. I’d asked Abhishek Saha to read for Toby and there was nothing black about [his delivery]. On paper, Toby sounds like a really clichéd black American who's just saying things for the sake of being funny, but the way Abhishek read it, it was hilarious but it was true. I think if you do a proper make-up test and the guy is earnest enough as a performer, which Saha is, the audience will go with it.

What do you think a severed hand looks like after 27 years?Really shrivelled and decayed. I’ve never seen one up close but I would think of it as mummified. I’m making one from a cast of a friend’s hand. People who have seen Confessions shouldn’t keep it in mind while watching this: it is a grim play, it’s funny, it’s disgusting, but there’s not a drop of blood. [McDonagh] can’t do a play without showing us some dismembered part of the human body or talking about incest but it’s a far more comedic outing than The Pillowman/Confessions.

Dark matter

Hand job A Behanding in Spokane

A Behanding in Spokane will be staged at Prithvi Theatre on Thur Feb 21. See English in What’s on Where.

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English

All in the TimingEDITOR’S PICK Dir: Faezeh Jalali. Writer: David Ives. Cast: Asif Ali Beg, Sumeet Vyas, Kaneez Surka, Malaika Choudhury, Naveen Kaushik, Siddharth Menon, Shivani Tanksale. 1 hour 45 mins.

Synopsis Short comic pieces about chances in life, tweaked to an Indian setting. Trapeze bars are used in Words, Words, Words, about three monkeys at their typewriters. Pieces include Sure Thing, about an awkward conversation between a couple, Seven Menus which tracks a circle of friends over several dinners and The Pune, originally The Philadelphia, about a reality in which a man cannot get anything he asks for. Gopal Dutt has adapted text and music from Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread to create Nusrat Khan Buys Some Paan.

Prithvi Theatre, Tue Feb 19 & Wed Feb 20, 9pm. Call the venue for ticket prices. Ave 29, Fri Feb 22, 8pm. Tickets 350. Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Sat Feb 23, 7pm. Tickets 250, 300.

A Behanding in Spokane Dir: Kashin Shetty. Writer: Martin McDonagh. Cast: Ali Fazal, Prabal Panjabi, Adhaar Khurana, Abhishek Saha, Shweta Tripathi, Hitesh Malukani. 1 hour 30 mins.

Synopsis A one-armed man plots revenge when he is handed the wrong limb. See Dark matter on page 92.

Prithvi Theatre, Thur Feb 21 & Fri Feb 22, 7pm, 9.30pm. Tickets 200.

Blame it on Yashraj Dir/ Writer: Bharat Dabholkar. Cast:

Jayati Bhatia, Ananth Mahadevan, Anchal Sabharwal. 1 hour 30 mins.

Synopsis Gags are up for grabs as a family prepares for the daughter’s wedding as it takes on Bollywoodesque proportions. Video projection on a backdrop and a musical score by Louis Banks are on the cards.

Sophia Bhabha Hall, Sun Feb 17, 6.30pm. Tickets 500, 760, 1,000, `1,500.

The Class Act Dir/Writer: Meherzad Patel. Cast: Danesh Irani, Sajeel Parakh, Lucky Vakharia, Danesh Khambata. 2 hours.

Synopsis A satire about religious stereotyping set in an acting workshop.

The Comedy Store, Wed Feb 20, 8.30pm. Tickets 500.

The Diary of a Word Dir/Writer: Ramu Ramanathan. Cast: Zafar Karachiwala, Ahlam Khan-Karachiwala. 1 hour 30 mins, no interval.

Synopsis Also titled How I Proposed to my Second Husband on the 321st Floor. In an interview with Time Out, Ramanathan said of the script, “Among other things, I wanted to write a love story without words of love.”

Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, Sun Feb 24, 7pm. Tickets 400.

Dance Like A ManEDITOR’S PICK Dir: Lillete Dubey. Writer: Mahesh Dattani. Cast: Vijay Crishna, Lillete Dubey, Joy Sengupta, Suchitra Pillai. 1 hour 45 mins.

Review Jairaj (Vijay Crishna) and Ratna (Lillete Dubey) are tense about their daughter’s debut dance performance, an event that revives memories of their unfulfilled pasts as bharatanatyam dancers. While the parents’ story overshadows that of daughter Lata (Suchitra Pillai) and her boyfriend Viswas (Joy Sengupta), it also provides for well-crafted scenes of conflict. The flashbacks allude to bharatanatyam’s association with devdasis and the suspicion about the

the venue for ticket prices. Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Thur Feb 21, 7pm. Entry free; admission on a first come, first served basis.

Rusty Screws Dir/Writer: Meherzad Patel. Cast: Danesh Irani, Siddharth Merchant, Pheroza Modi. 1 hour 40 mins.

Synopsis A teenager has to choose between friends and family on his father’s birthday.

The Comedy Store, Sat Feb 16 & Sun Feb 17, 6.30pm. Tickets 400.

Some Times Dir: Adhaar Khurana. Writers: Adhir Bhat & Bobby Nagra. Cast: Karan Pandit, Sarang Sathaye, Kashin Shetty, Shruti Vyas. 1 hour 20 mins, no interval.

Synopsis Three days in the life of Paramjit Singh Duggal, an advertising executive who is beset with demands from his employer, parents and girlfriend, and finds respite with his pothead friends.

Prithvi Theatre, Tue Feb 26 & Wed Feb 27, 7pm, 9.30pm. Call the venue for ticket prices. Persons aged 16 and older.

Spunk Dir: Akarsh Khurana. Writer: Siddharth Kumar. Cast: Amol Parashar, Malaika Shenoy, Geetika Tyagi. 2 hours.

Synopsis Brijesh Arora becomes his family’s golden goose with the discovery that he has special semen.

Prithvi Theatre, Sun Feb 24, 5pm, 8pm. Call the venue for ticket prices.

The Ugly One Dir: Akarsh Khurana. Writer: Marius von Mayenburg. Translated by: Maja Zade. Cast: Adhir Bhat, Vivaan Shah, Chaitnya Sharma, Shikha Talsania. 1 hour 5 mins.

Synopsis The unspeakably ugly K encounters the perils of beauty after his plastic surgery. See Face off on page 92.

Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Fri Feb 15, 7pm. Tickets 300, 400. Prithvi Theatre, Sat Feb 23, 6pm, 9pm. Call the venue for ticket prices.

The Vagina Monologues EDITOR’S PICK Dir: Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. Writer: Eve Ensler. Cast: Dolly Thakore, Jayati Bhatia, Avantika Akerkar, Sonali Sachdev, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal. 1 hour 15 mins.

Review Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues is a sharp, witty, poignant and over-the-top look at feminine identity to which Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal’s localised production does ample justice. The monologues are mottled with razor-sharp irony – there’s a bittersweet incongruity between serious content and light delivery. Take the monologue in which a victim of rape as a child (played by Avantika Akerkar) experiences her first orgasm as an adolescent with the lady from across the road. Some pieces are

sexuality of male dancers, but the play offers no easy answers. Saumya Ancheri

Tata Theatre, NCPA, Sat Feb 23, 7pm. Tickets 260, 400, 500, 700, `1,000.

The Frying Pan Dir: Murtuza Kutianawala. Writer: Sujay Mirchandani. Cast: Abhishek Pattnaik, Sadhika Syal. 1 hour 30 mins.

Synopsis A comedy about four participants in an anger management class.

The Comedy Store, Tue Feb 19, 8.30pm. Tickets 400.

Gates to India SongEDITOR’S PICK Dir/ Adapted by: Éric Vigner. Writer: Marguerite Duras. Translated by: Morgan Dowsett, Cole Swensen, Jutta Johanna Weiss. Cast: Nandita Das, Suhaas Ahuja, Subodh Maskara, Jim Sarbh, Neeraj Kabi. 1 hour 30 mins, no interval.

Synopsis The dangerous liaisons of a French governor’s wife in 1930s Calcutta, adapted from Marguerite Duras’ novel The Vice-Consul and film India Song. The production has been created in India for the Bonjour India Festival. See French passage on www.timeoutmumbai.net for an interview with the director.

Prithvi Theatre, Fri Feb 15, 9pm; Sat Feb 16 & Sun Feb 17, 6pm, 9pm. Call

Listings are organised by lan-guage and then alphabetically by production. Addresses and other details are given in Venues A to Z at the end of the listings. G denotes the nearest railway station. v denotes the name of the nearest bus stop.If you want to be listedSubmit information by mail (Time Out, Essar House, PO Box 7964, 11 KK Marg, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai 400 034), email ([email protected]) or fax (6660-1112) to Saumya Ancheri. Include details of event, dates, timings, address of venue, near-est train station and bus stop, telephone number and any entry fee. Time Out is a fortnightly publication, appearing on the stands every other Thursday. Deadline for information is ten days before publication. Listings are free, but inclusion cannot be guaranteed due to limited space.


What’s on where: Plays Critics’ choice

The two best events this fortnightBakchod NightThe Comedy StoreProvocative comic Gursimran Khamba and the affable, excitable Tanmay Bhat host a recording of their outrageous podcast, with their funny friends. Wed Feb 27

Gates to India Song NCPA Éric Vigner directs an Indian cast in Marguerite Duras’ languorous tale of lovers in 1930s Calcutta. Thur Feb 21

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absurdly funny. Ensler asks, “If your vagina got dressed, what would it wear?” Among the answers: combat boots, jeans or pink boas. Mody-Kotwal’s production especially scores because of its talented cast. Sonali Sachdev’s accent is spot-on as she plays a woman whose lover likes to stare at her vagina. Akerkar, who does all the American accents, is unremarkable at first but warms up gradually to a tremendous performance of the monologue “Reclaiming Cunt”. But it’s Jayati Bhatia who gets the most applause as she simulates orgasms from the “uninhibited militant bisexual moan” to the “tortured Zen moan” in an encore-worthy “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy”. Pronoti Datta

The Comedy Store, Sat Feb 23 & Sun Feb 24, 6pm. Tickets 600.

Hindi

Bhamashah Dir: Manoj Shah. Writer: Bipin Doshi. Adapted by: Mihir Bhuta. Cast: Aishwarya Mehta, Pulkit Solanki, Jay Upadhyay, Kiran Jadhav, Sagar Rawal, Krishna Kedar, Rohit Manish, Rahul Vashi, Surya Rao. 1 hour 15 mins.

Synopsis The life of Bhamashah, philanthropist, warrior and advisor to Maharana Pratap of Mewar.

Rangsharda Auditorium, Sun Feb 17, 7pm. Tickets available at the venue at show-time.

Chinta Chhod Chintamani Dir: Om Katare. Writer: Vasant Kanetkar. Adapted by: Ashish Dikey. Cast: Mukund Bhatt, Priyanka Basu, Deepika Pant, Vaibhav Joshi. 2 hours.

Review Om Katare has a penchant for hilarious family dramas but in this play, the formula doesn’t produce the best results: the plot is thin and there is a downpour of farcical jokes. Katare plays Chintamani, an unhappy father of three, struggling to cope with fast-approaching old age. Titu, his eldest, is a rising cricketer, whose philandering ways threaten his relationship with his childhood sweetheart Priya. Chintamani’s only daughter Gauri is under the magical spell of a dubious saint, who is winning over other family members too. Only Chintamani’s sweet-natured father has the ability to control the chaos and deliver solutions at the speed of Dr Phil. The conflicts in the Chintamani household are turned into inane digs at Karan Johar and spoofs of iconic Bollywood characters like Gabbar Singh. Suhani Singh

Experimental Theatre, NCPA, Sun Feb 24, 7pm. Tickets 400, 450.

The Vagina Monologues in HindiEDITOR’S PICK Dirs: Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal & Kaizaad Kotwal. Writer: Eve Ensler. Translated by: Ritu Bhatia & Jaydeep Sarkar. Cast: Rasika Duggal, Varshaa Agnihotri, Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal, Dilnaz Irani. 1 hour 30 mins.

Review Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal

and Kaizaad Kotwal’s Hindi version of The Vagina Monologues provides entertainment alongside sex education. Despite dealing with potentially risqué material, Kissa Yoni Ka is never lewd. Each vignette begins with a Hindi film song, such as “Baar Baar Dekho”, with innuendos that the audience is quick to catch. The play’s tour de force is “Choot”, an antakshari-like exercise that leaves audiences in guffaws. Suhani Singh

The Comedy Store, Fri Feb 22, 6.30pm. Tickets 500.

Marathi

Ghar Baar... Dir/Writer: Vishwas Sohoni. Cast: Manasi Kulkarni, Uday Nene, Sameer Chaughule. 1 hour 15 mins.

Synopsis A pair of star-crossed lovers rendezvous in their sixties.

Awishkar Sanskrutik Kendra, New Mahim Municipal School, Sun Feb 17, 7.30pm. Call the venue for ticket prices.

Lekure Udand Jhali Dir: Vijay Kenkre. Writer: Vasant Kanetkar. Cast: Sumeet Raghvan, Chinmayee Sumeet, Uday Sabnis, Mrunal Chemburkar. 2 hours 30 mins.

Synopsis Natyasampada Productions premieres its revival of this sangeet natak about relatives who prey on a childless couple.

Gadkari Rangayatan, Sat Feb 16, 4pm. Yashwantrao Chavan Natya Sankul, Sat Feb 23, 4pm. Call the venues for ticket prices.

Madhalya Bhintee Dir: Vishwas Sohoni. Writer: Vijay Tendulkar. Cast: Awishkar Repertory. 2 hours.

Synopsis This show is the first in the NCPA’s new monthly showcase of Marathi theatre, called NCPA Marathi Vishesh. Awishkar revives Tendulkar’s 1958 drama about a middle-class family that is crushed when the eldest son marries the woman he loves.

Awishkar Sanskrutik Kendra, New Mahim Municipal School, Mon Feb 18, 7.30pm. Call the venue for ticket prices

Varyavarchi Varaat Dir: Shrikant Moghe. Writer: PL Deshpande. Cast: Anand Ingale, Atisha Naik. 2 hours 30 mins.

Synopsis Music and commentary by PL “Pula” Deshpande on a rapidly changing Konkan village.

Prabodhankar Thackeray Natyamandir, Fri Feb 15, 8.30pm. Call the venue for ticket prices.

ComedyEDITOR’S PICK Bakchod Night

Gursimran Khamba and Tanmay Bhat host a live recording of their no-holds-barred podcast, All India Bakchod, along with fellow stand-up comics Rohan Joshi, Ashish Shakya and Karunesh Talwar. The talented team has a blast riffing off current world news through commentary and song (as the Bakchod Boys), putting the latest headlines in a twist – and picking on the front benchers.

The Comedy Store, Wed Feb 27, 8.30pm, 10.30pm. Tickets 500.

Cardinal Bengans Improvisational humour from Weirdass Comedy.

The Comedy Store, Thur Feb 21, 10.30pm. Tickets 600.

Character Assassination Get introduced to Arinpant Chaudhari and Pantjot Singh Sidhu in this 90-minute show from Sorabh Pant and emcee Sapan Verma.


The East India Co.medy Show Sorabh Pant’s brand new comedy company offers funny anecdotes, sketches and gags from comics Daniel Fernandes, Tushar Abhichandani and Sapan Verma.

Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, Sat Feb 23, 8pm. Tickets 300.

The Filmfail Awards Karan Talwar and his comic crew Schitzengiggles take a crack at Bollywood in the year gone by, with awards chosen by an online poll from nominations by film critics Aniruddha Guha, Time Out Mumbai;

Baradwaj Rangan, The Hindu, Mihir Fadnavis, Mid Day and Rituparna Chatterjee, IBNLive.com.

St Andrew’s Auditorium, Thur Feb 28, 8pm. Tickets 200, 400, 600.

The Ghanta Awards 2013 Our version of the Razzies hosted by stand-up comics. The third annual event “celebrating the worst of Bollywood” presents awards in categories such as Worst Director and WTF Was That, drawn by a public online vote on nominations from critics such as Ghanta’s co-founder

Karan Anshuman, Mumbai Mirror; Rajeev Masand,

CNN-IBN and Sahil Rizwan, TheVigilIdiot.com.Enigma, JW Marriott, Fri Feb 15, 8pm. Tickets `1,000, 1,800. To book online, log on to www.zomato.com.EDITOR’S PICK

Improv Comedy Mumbai

Improvisational comedy from American Adam Dow and his troupe, which includes actors Mukul Chadda, Naveen Kaushik and Kaneez

Surka-Nalwala. Lagerbay, 6 Mamta Building, 183 Waterfield Road, Bandra (W). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). v National College. Thur Feb 7, 9.30pm. Call 6736-9900 for ticket price. Visit Facebook group Improv Comedy Mumbai for updates.

Indosyncrasies, Simply Desi Delhi comics Amit Tandon, Abijit Ganguly and Neeti Palta talk about wedding woes, Indian parents, monster traffic jams and other aspects of the desi experience.


Kunal Rao, Sahil Shah, Shyam Bhat & Abijit Ganguly

Humour in the house with Rao, Shah, Bhat and Ganguly.

The Comedy Store, Sat Feb 16, 8.30pm, 10.30pm & Sun Feb 17. 8.30pm. Tickets 600.

News Jam Weirdass Comedy gives their take on the day’s news bulletin with a round-up of the week’s headlines.


Open mic All it takes for a shot at being “Raw Champion of the Month” at The Comedy Store is about five minutes of material to be performed before a paying audience. Prepare to be pitted against another comic in a minute-long joke-off in the finale. The winner bags a five-minute spot at the weekend show, tips from the Store’s management, and their photograph posted at the box office that month. The show will be hosted by stand-up comic Neeti Palta.

The Comedy Store, Mon Feb 25, 8.30pm. To register, email [email protected]. Audience entry, `200.

Politricks Weirdass Comedy does an hour of political sketch comedy on Indian democracy. They’re threatening to pull out all the stops for an Indian experience, including an audience dress code of orange, green or white,

Sing for the moment Lekure Udand Jhali

Coming soon The Russian Ice Stars bring Snow White on Ice and Cirque de Glace to

Aamby Valley City from Feb 21-Apr 17. For updates, see www.aambyvalley.

com. To book, call 3980-7444.


Thea

tre


but they just might kindly adjust. The Comedy Store, Wed Feb 20, 10.30pm. Tickets 600.

Rohan Joshi, Atul Khatri & Vipul Goyal

Laugh it up with Joshi, Khatri and Goyal.

The Comedy Store, Thur Feb 28, 8.30pm. Tickets 600; available at venue. For online booking, visit www.bookmyshow.com; call 3989-5050 for home delivery.

The Royal Turds Gursimran Khamba and Tanmay Bhat of cult podcast All India Bakchod team up with fellow stand-up comics Rohan Joshi, Ashish Shakya and Anuvab Pal to troll through Bollywood in 2012.

Liberty Cinema, Fri Feb 15, 8.30pm. Tickets 200, 400, 600.

Varun Thakur, Anuvab Pal, Shyam Bhat & Abijit Ganguly

Witty tales from Thakur, Pal, Bhat and Ganguly.


Tanmay Bhat, Neeti Palta, Sorabh Pant & Rajesh Nair

Laughter blasters Bhat, Palta, Pant and Nair.

The Comedy Store, Thur Feb 21, Fri Feb 22 & Sun Feb 24, 8.30pm. Sat Feb 23, 8.30pm, 10.30pm. Tickets 600.

Weirdass Jukebox Picks from the best of Weirdass Comedy productions such as Politricks and Cardinal Bengans.

The Comedy Store, Sun Feb 23, 10.30pm. Tickets 750.

EventsFREE Commedia dell’arte A performance on International Commedia dell’arte Day by a cast including Deepal Doshi, Kathryn Tabone Doshi, Yuki Elias, Padma Damodaran, Siddhanth Karnik and Timira Gupta. Commedia dell’arte is a theatrical form that emerged in fifteenth-century northern Italy, and employs stock characters, masks, exaggerated gestures and improvised dialogue for sly digs at current events and bawdy humour.

Prithvi Theatre, Mon Feb 25, 7pm.FREE From theatre to film Alliance Française and Prithvi Theatre host a screening of Stéphane Metge’s documentary Une Autre Solitude, on the complementary process of acting and directing, explored via conversations between Patrice Chéreau and Pascal Greggory while working on In the Solitude of Cotton Fields. French with English subtitles. 1 hour 18 mins.

Prithvi House, opposite Prithvi Theatre, Wed Feb 20, 7pm. Alliance Française Auditorium, Mon Feb 25, 6.30pm.

FREE Great Text Reading Q Theatre Productions focuses the new season of informal play readings on post-apocalyptic dramas. This fortnight is Spike Milligan and John Antrobus’ satire The Bed-Sitting Room, in the aftermath of the Third World War.

18 Anukool, Seven Bungalows, next to Daljit Gym, Harminder Singh Marg. Mon Feb 25, 7.30pm. For directions, call on 2639-2688 or 99306-66332.

NCPA Zest! In this new monthly venture, the NCPA gives a stage to the winners of intercollegiate drama competitions and exemplary amateur youth productions. Rashtra Bhasha Parivaar from Nagpur will present their award-winning one-act Hindi play Toba Tek Singh, which uses movement to enhance the narration of Saadat Hasan Manto’s story set during Partition.

Dance Theatre Godrej, NCPA, Tue Feb 26, 6.30pm. Tickets 150.

FestivalsFREE Marathi Sangeet Natak Mahotsav

Nehru Centre hosts a three-day festival of sangeet natak. All

plays will be at the Nehru Centre Auditorium at 6pm

each day. Entry against free passes available at the box office from Fri Feb 22 at 10.30am.

Tue Feb 26Prarabd Yana Prava

Dir: LA Kazi. Writer: Pradeep Oak. Nehru Centre,

Mumbai.

Wed Feb 27Bilaskhani Todi Dirs: Anjali Karhadkar & Saket Raje. Writer: Ranjit Desai. Adapted by: AS Paranjape. Cast: Kalapini Sanskrutic Kendra, Talegaon.

Thur Feb 28Alak Niranjan Dir/ Writer: Vishnu Surya Wagh. Adapted by: AS Paranjape. Cast: Rangmel Theatre Company of Kala Academi, Goa.

WorkshopsMasks and Commedia Explore creating characters,

improvisation and physical comedy through masks with conductors Deepal Doshi, Kathryn Tabone Doshi and Yuki Ellias. The workshop will end with a performance at Prithvi Theatre on Mon Feb 25, which is International Commedia dell’arte Day.

Sat Feb 23 & Sun Feb 24. Fees 1,000. Call 99200-99758 for details,

Pomegranate Pomegranate’s Experience Theatre workshop will be conducted by Suruchi Aulakh, who has been involved in theatre, television and films over the last 14 years, and actor, writer and voice-over artist Rohit Tiwari. Sessions will be in English and Hindi and will explore texts with work on the voice, body language, props and improvisation.

Classes at PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy. Every weekend from Sat Feb 16 to Sun Mar 17. Sat 5-7pm, Sun 11am-1pm. Fees `7,950. For details, call Gunjan Gupta on 98929-60947. To register, email [email protected] with your full name, cell phone number, postal address and preferred payment mode.

Theatre Professionals Jehan Manekshaw and Tasneem Fatehi’s Theatre Professionals host new workshops. Actor, writer and choreographer Padma Damodaran, who has a master’s in acting from East 15 Acting School, UK, and currently heads the performance training and development division at Theatre Professionals will take a foundation skills workshop. The sessions will cover elements of physical and voice training, and text work.

Classes at PL Deshpande Maharashtra Kala Academy. Mon Feb 25 to Sat Mar 2, 6-10pm. Fees 5,500; payment options are available. To register, call 93215-95159 and email your resume and your reasons for doing the workshop to [email protected]. Visit www.theatreprofessionals.co.in.

Venues A to ZAlliance Française Theosophy Hall, near Nirmala Niketan, New Marine Lines, Churchgate (2203-6187). G Churchgate (WR, CST (CR Main & Harbour). v Nirmala Niketan.

Ave 29 4, Kohinoor Mansion, 29 Hughes Road (2380-4981). G Grant Road (WR). v Hughes Road.

The Comedy Store The Palladium Mall, High Street Phoenix, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel (4348-5000). G Lower Parel (WR). v Phoenix Mills.

Gadkari Rangayatan Moose Road, near Masooda Talao, Thane (E) (2536-2165). G Thane (CR Main). v Talaopadi. Box office daily 8.30-11am, 5-8pm.

Liberty Cinema 41/42, Ground Floor, Liberty Building, New Marine Lines (2203-1196). G Marine Lines (WR). v Bombay Hospital.

Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangha Mandir Bhalerao Marg, Gaiwadi, Girgaum (2385-6303). G Charni Road (WR). v Gaiwadi.

National Centre for the Performing Arts Near Hilton Towers, Nariman Point (6622-3737/6658-8997). G Churchgate (WR), CST (CR Main & Harbour). v NCPA. Box office daily 9am-7pm.

Nehru Centre Auditorium Annie Besant Road, near Shiv Sagar Estate, Worli (2496-4680). G Mahalaxmi (WR). v Nehru Centre.

New Mahim Muncipal School Miya Mohammed Chhotani Road, Cross Gully No. 3, Mahim (W) (2444-5871). G Mahim (WR). v Paradise Cinema.

PL Deshpande Kala Academy Sayani Road, Prabhadevi (2431-2956). G Elphinstone Road (WR). v Siddhivinayak Temple. Box office daily 10am-11pm.

Prabhodhankar Thackeray Natya Mandir Sodawala Lane, near Chamunda Circle, Borivali (W) (2895-1468). G Borivali (WR). v Chamunda Circle. Box office daily 8-11.30am, 5-8pm.

Prithvi Theatre Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Vile Parle (W) (2614-9546). G Vile Parle (WR, CR Harbour). v Juhu Bus Depot. Box office daily 1-9pm. No latecomers allowed after show begins.

Rangsharda Auditorium Hotel Rangsharda, Near Lilavati Hospital, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (W) (2643-0544). G Bandra (WR & CR Harbour). v Lilavati Hospital. Box office daily 3.30-8.30pm.

Shivaji Mandir Opposite Plaza Cinema, NC Kelkar Road, Dadar (W) (2438-9387). G Dadar (WR & CR Main). v Plaza. Box office daily 8.30-11am, 5-8pm.

Sophia Bhabha Hall Sophia College Campus, off Bhulabhai Desai Road (2383-8550). G Grant Road (WR). v Sophia College. Box office daily 10am-6pm.

Swatantryaweer Savarkar Smarak Sabhagriha Veer Savarkar Marg, Dadar (W). G Dadar (WR, CR Main) . v Shivaji Park.

St Andrew’s Auditorium St Andrew’s College, St Dominic Road, Bandra (W) (2645-9667). G Bandra (WR, CR Harbour). v Holy Family Hospital.

Yashwantrao Chavan Natya Sankul Near Ruparel College, Matunga(W) (2438-1659). G Matunga Road (WR), Matunga (CR Main). v Ruparel College.

Brothers in arms Bhamashah

Deepal Doshi and friends mask their enthusiasm on International Commedia

dell'arte Day.


Win dining vouchers from Grand Sarovar Premiere !!

Time Out readers stand a chance to win a meal for two at Marhaba. Answer the question below: What does Marhaba mean?A. GoodbyeB. HelloC. WelcomeD. How are you?

To win, send an SMS to 56161 with the message “TIMEOUT a/b/c /d (your name)” or email your name and contact details to [email protected] with MARHABA in the subject line.

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Open Skies, Dazzling Moonlight and Humming waterfall’s make for a romantic setting at this lovely New Open Air Restaurant.

A quiet romantic spot next to the waterfall or an action table right near the Live Station, Marhaba is

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OffersFebruary 15-28, 2013 Next issue out on March 1, 2013


v9i13_Offers 001.indd 97 2/9/2013 12:33:48 AM


Metropolisstrange tales from our international brethren time out london

Commuters along Blackfriars Bridge were used to an unlikely travel companion – a beige-and-white barn owl.

The bird had caused quite a stir for a week, due to its predilection for perching on people’s heads, and snapping at furry hats. It mysteriously disappeared one morning, and the Barn Owl Centre said that it might have very likely become a victim of the harsh winter. Last heard, Londoners used to the friendly neighbourhood winged creature were very morose indeed.

time out New YorkIf you thought the local barber shop was about keeping things as rugged as possible, a round-up of “retro” businesses

defuzzes that notion. The shaving cream at Blind Barber is infused with wild water mint and juniper berry, and each shave comes with a complimentary cocktail. Barberie NYC offers a shot of Jameson whisky, while Tomcats Barbershop has an on-site artwork service for motorcycle helmets.

time out Hong KongFeng shui decrees 2013 as the Year of the Snake. The cover story was dedicated to those born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977,

1989 and 2001. Feng shui expert Raymond Lo held forth on what they should eat, what colours to wear and how to avoid mishaps during travel. “The monkey and the snake are good friends,” said Lo, “So the monkey [should] take [the danger] away.” He didn’t mention if he was talking about a symbolic monkey but we presume either might work just as well.

No loo is too loo-brow for me to give it custom. Being blessed with far too much

weight and far too weak a bladder, I follow the only injunction I hold to be the one truth – when you have to go you have to go. I therefore have no qualms about the smell, the wetness, the ability of the flush to work, or the sight of previous detritus. Can’t afford them. All this and more can be bypassed if I am able to pass some myself.

I have, more or less mastered the art of standing tippy-toe on dryer patches of a public toilet, managing with a bag in one or both hands, and not being excessively prissy if the loo does not have a door latch. Bodily privacy does not amount to much when it comes to bodily priority and evacuation is imminent.

When it comes to going for the “big one”, I go down on my knees (bad choice of words here) and thank providence for a decade of apprenticeship that I had, of living in a chawl with common toilets. Over the years, I mastered the art of doing my thing with a single,

approx. three-fourths of a litre, “tim-pat” (tin-pot) of water. This included washing to satisfaction and saving some for flushing after (in deference to the next-in-line). This rigour has stood me in good stead when I needed, no, when I had to go behind a rock outcrop near the Khardungla Pass (17,582 ft) with a bottle of Bisleri, or to similarly not embarrass myself, and others, numerous times when on the road.

I am not complaining, but I have also had access on occasion to upmarket loos. I remember being utterly impressed by the newly minted ones in the Inox at Nariman Point, when that multiplex opened its doors. It was all glitter and glam, just like going to the movies, but only for valid ticket holders. I have visited the ultra-swank bogs at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, complete with the gilt signage of a man in Omani national dress and its squatting-type WCs that shone like burnished gold. Damn it all, we all grew up to treat the ground floor loo (to the left) at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel near the Gateway as the public toilet of choice in our growing up years, didn’t we? That one of course is no longer of use when the urge is too strong; the time you spend getting frisked and patted down could lead to a disaster having national consequences.

How anybody is able to manage in Mumbai’s streets is another thing altogether. Loo-lore of the location and proximity of public conveniences is vitally important to my well-being when I go about my daily work. This is of no help

at all in places I do not normally frequent, where such knowledge is unavailable. Mumbai has no signage in her grand outdoors that indicates where a toilet is located. Even if you wished to throw all civic sense and propriety to the wind, in our densely occupied streets there are few alleys or shielding walls offering the possibility of unseen micturition. The undersides of flyovers, those puke-inducing pools of putridity have also been appropriated now for pay-and-park purposes.

Thank you for reading thus far. You must know that I am of the male persuasion, and that these are profound urban inconveniences that I find myself subject to. Now imagine being a woman with similar needs on

Mumbai’s unhelpful streets.

Mumbai needs many more accessible toilets for both men and women than it needs urban transport, redevelopment or any other form of aspirational pipe-dreams. It needs them as first priority, placed visibly, and with it the signage and directions for immediate and easy

access. It needs them at frequent enough intervals so that long lines do not form outside them. It needs them with doors that latch and with hooks for bags.

I would like to see the day that the Chief Minister proudly proclaims (on TV, on Twitter and in print) that Mumbai has more loos than Shanghai. It is no excuse that loos are not built because maintaining them is difficult. You might not like to hear this, but Mumbai needs public toilets first, their hygiene and cleanliness can follow.

Mumbai needs many more accessible toilets for

both men and women than it needs urban transport,

redevelopment

loo brow

After words

by Mustansir Dalvi

v9i13_BOB 001.indd 98 2/8/2013 8:27:51 PM

time out mumbai

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