When Gulzar saab pulled a prank on me!

It’s amazing how words fail you when you’re trying to pen down a few lines in praise of your favourite wordsmith.

I don’t remember exactly what the moment was when I felt the full impact of Gulzar’s poetry and lyrics. But it must have been way back in school, when there was hardly anything to watch on television and listening to music was my favourite pastime, specially just before sleeping. Fond of old Hindi film songs, I would end up listening to quite a few gems from the era gone by.

And then one night, they played the song ‘Mera Kuch Saamaan’ from Ijazat. I had not seen the movie and had never heard the song. What a beautiful, beautiful track! If this is what they called poetry, then I wanted to listen to all of it, listen to all of Gulzar saab’s songs. I heard more of him, discovered more of him. I think if there’s one word to describe his lyrics, it would have to be honest. I often find myself nodding my head listening to his poetry because somewhere deep inside, his words resonate with me. As I’m sure, they do with others. Because at the end of the day, all of us are the same. And Gulzar speaks for all of us. His words, ringing out clearly and honestly.

                With Gulzar saab and a photobomber at Prithvi Theatre, Mumbai

I’m privileged to be in a profession where one of the biggest perks of the job is that I can meet people who I really admire. And meeting Gulzar saab and talking to him, not once but on quite a few occasions, will always remain special for me. Call me old school, but I hate getting pictures clicked with celebrities or people I interview. But each time I meet this man, I get one clicked with him.

Whether it was his casual way of asking ‘haina?’ after completing a sentence or sharing a hilarious anecdote about his camaraderie with Pancham, it was Gulzar saab’s childlike demeanour that stood out at every occasion. But the incident I recall with utmost fondness is when he played a prank on me! I had interviewed him at his house in Pali Naka, Bandra and the photographer was clicking his pictures. I knew his beloved pet dog Pali had passed away some time ago and I asked him if he would ever consider keep a dog again. “But I have already. There he is, sleeping in the corner,” he said. I was surprised and whipped around to see a small dog curled up in a basket in a corner of the room. “Go ahead, he won’t do anything,” he urged. Being a little afraid of dogs in general, I cautiously moved ahead, hoping that he keeps sleeping. It was only when I had reached the edge of the basket did I realise that it was indeed a bronze cast of the dog! “Gulzar saab, I can’t believe you played a joke on me!” I exclaimed while he had a hearty laugh. “I like doing this to people,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

On his 82^nd birthday today, I wish Gulzar saab many, many more years of a healthy and happy life. May his words keep speaking to us, always.

Much love

The Art Addict

Say cheers to beers!

On the various Whatsapp groups that I’m a part of, there was one thing common on August 5 – loads of videos of many parts of Mumbai submerged under water or messages about local trains running late, or worse, stopped completely. Was I worried? Not one bit! For at that moment, I was on the Mumbai Pune Expressway, enjoying the rains and the absolutely breath-taking view on my way to Four Points by Sheraton, Pune.

                                                              What a view! 

As we drove past numerous waterfalls and mountains barely visible through the fog, I couldn’t help but get a good feeling about this two-day getaway from the hustle and bustle of Mumbai.

It was International Beer Day and the hotel had invited a bunch of us to try out some of their cool beer cocktails and the new Olympics special menu. Not only was I curious about the beer cocktails (having never tried one before), I also wanted to experience their hospitality, something I had heard positive things about. On reaching the hotel and settling in my room, we were given a quick tour of the venue.

                                  A comfortable bed is an assurance of a happy stay

The hotel, with its tastefully-done lobby, comfortable and neat service apartments and a variety of restaurants to cater to everyone’s taste, was impressive. With their promise of comfortable beds ensuring a good night’s sleep, free internet, fresh coffee and cold beer, I could see why this hotel has some great ratings on most travel sites.

                                             Happy International Beer Day! 

But what I was looking most forward to, was the evening when all the action at Best Brews – their signature bar started. Vijayan Gangadharan, the hotel’s General Manager kickstarted the evening’s program with a small speech and invited us all to try their Olympics special menu, comprising beer cocktails and beer appetisers. In-house Beerista Aniket quickly got behind the bar to conjure some really cool drinks. While The London Sour Beer Cocktail was an absolutely refreshing mix of lime, orange juice and mint, the Mexican Michelada was our favourite, reminding us of a tangier Bloody Mary, but with beer!

                                     Beerista Aniket with the London Sour Beer cocktail 

The Marshmallow Beer too was spot on, with the sweet taste of marshamallows perfectly complimenting the taste of the beer. Paired with some interesting bar snacks, the beer cocktails really got everyone in the mood to have a great time.

                                             Plenty of beer cocktails to choose from

And what a time we had! From beer quizzes to beer pong and even a competition on which group would gulp down the most number of beers the quickest, everyone had a blast. The extended Late Night Happy Hours between 11 pm and midnight added to the revelry.

                                                Getting ready for beer pong! 

A deep sleep courtesy the hotel’s comfortable beds, a wholesome breakfast in the morning, followed by a quick dash to the famous Kayani Bakery to get our fill of their famous mawa cakes and we were back on the highway heading to Mumbai. 

                                               Spoilt for choice at Kayani Bakery 

But it wasn’t just the goodies from the bakery we carried back with us, but happy memories of a ‘beery’ good time too. Cheers!

Much love

The Art Addict

Review: An Unposted Love Letter

If there was one play which I had meaning to watch for a long time, but somehow or the other, not being able to do so, it was An Unposted Love Letter. Over the last few months, director Mohit Sharma and I must have exchanged a number of messages about it, but it was only a couple of days ago that he invited me, yet again, to watch the show and I instantly said yes. As easy as that!

So on a rain-drenched Saturday evening, we made our way to The Hive in Khar to watch the play, based on Nobel Laureate Doris Lessing’s short story. For me, the highlight of the play was the evocative writing by Doris, although I wondered if the actor, Ankita Shrivastav, would be able to hold the audience’s attention for the 80 minutes duration of the monologue. Turns out, she could and how!

“I don’t need a husband. I have many… husbands,” declares the actress on the stage. For that is what Ankita is in the play, an artiste. There is no linear narrative or a single stream of thought that comes out of her mouth. Instead, there are a series of ideas and thoughts that cross her mind, as she questions what society expects from her and how she really feels as an artiste. Yes, there is conflict with society, but there is also a sense of acceptance and peace with her inner-self.

The USP of the play lies, quite obviously, in its writing. But it’s far from direct and it will take a skilled viewer to read between the lines. The ideas expressed in the play are complex and if you are looking purely to be entertained, then this is not the play for you. However, if you are looking to witness a beautiful piece of art, then we suggest you don’t give this a miss.

The person who carries the weight of the show on her petite shoulders, Ankita too deserves praise in the way in which she brings alive the conflict within herself on stage. Writing help to a great extant but it’s only an actor with a good stage presence who can make the audience feel for the character.

Ambal Productions, the guys behind An Unposted Love Letter, have also done the black comedy Toba Tek Singh, stand-up comedy Oye… Stand Up!, the comedy-satire Mera Bharat Mahaan? and the poetry-performance Old Monk Aur Main.  They deserve credit for taking on a play which might not be a crowd-puller but deserves to be seen because of its artistic value. We can’t wait to see what next they come up with.

Cheers!

The Art Addict

PS: The next show of the play is scheduled at The Hive on 20^th August at 9 pm. We suggest you book your tickets early.