p 10 - The Echo Of India

PAGE-10
The Echo of India Kolkata Wednesday June 1, 2016
CREATIVE WORLD
‘Phobia’ a comment on
violence in society: Pawan
NEW DELHI, MAY 31/--/
Pawan Kripalani is a selfconfessed lover of thrillerhorror genre but the director says with "Phobia", he
also wanted to explore the
violence in society and its
impact on people. The
movie has opened to good
reviews with critics praising the gripping storyline
and its lead Radhika Apte's
powerful performance as a
woman scared to step out of
her home. Apte's character
develops agoraphobia after
escaping a rape attempt by
a taxi driver. "Within this
story, there is the larger issue of our own urban spaces
and how violence in the society is getting to people.
Subtextually, I wanted to
make a comment about it,"
Pawan told PTI in an interview.
The director, who has
previously helmed "Ragini
MMS" and "Darr @ The
Mall", loves watching movies in the horror- thriller
space but rues that
Bollywood does not churn
out good stories in the
genre. He counts Alfred
Hitchcock's "Psycho", Ro-
man Polanski's "Repulsion"
and "Rosemary's Baby"
among the movies that influenced him while growing
up. "I enjoy horror, psycholo gical thriller. They are
siblings. At the base level,
they both are playing with
the emotion of fear. I like
being in that space. I am not
going to step away from this
place till I feel I have made
the perfect film." Incidentally, Apted w as the first
person that Pawan approached for "Phobia" role.
"Radhika was the first person, I narrated the story to.
She is a g reat actor. The
movie's story is very dependent on the actor as that
person is in every frame, so
I needed a performer like
her. "We were working on
something else but when I
told her this story. She instantly came on board. She
told me write the script I am
in it." Next on Pawan's radar is a horror comedy but
he says it is too early to talk
about it. He also thinks that
"Phobia" can be developed
into a franchise with subsequent movies exploring
other such stories. (PTI)
Salman and I have similar
sense of humour: Randeep
Finding stories in match-boxes
NEW DELHI, MAY 31 /--/ Collecting matchboxes is a hobby for
many people, but for the 50-something-year-old Gautam Hemmady
who is engaged in building an archive of sorts using matchbox labels, it means much more.
Hemmady, who has been f ascinated with matchboxes ever since
he was a child took to serious collecting from the year 2012 and has
been engaged in accumulating an
assortment of matchboxes, matchbox labels, wrapping packets, bags
and carton labels as well. "It is a
cheap hobby but not an easy one,"
says the collector who has put up
an exhibition 'Matchbox Labels
and the Stories they Tell' at the India International Centre here. "I
don't know what actually inspired
me to do so. As far as I can think of,
this was fascinating for me even as
a boy. "Important information is fading away because no one is preserving them. No one wants to
study the stories in these matchboxes. I have so much da ta that I
can even analyse how the package
of the matchbox of a particular
company changed with time," says
Hemmady. While he is unsure of
the exact number of the matchboxes in his possession, he says it
can be estimated to be some 25,000,
‘Dishoom’ first
poster released
MUMBAI, MAY 31 /--/ The
first poster of "Dishoom,"
starring John Abraham and
Varun Dhawan has been released. The lead actors revealed their character looks
on Twitter. "#Dishoom poster.
So this is how Kabir and
Junaid walk into work on a
Monday
morning.
# D h aw a n A n d A b r a h a m
#Bulldogsrule," Varun wrote.
John, 43, also shared the
poster.While the poster features John in a rough and
tough avtaar, Varun, 29, is seen
wearing a black suit with
white button down and tie.
Directed by Rohit Dhawan,
the movie has some high-octane stylized action sequences. Trailer of the film
will be out on June 1. Majorly
shot in UAE, the film also
stars Jacqueline Fernandez
and Saqib Saleem. Produced
by Nadiadwala Grandson,
"Dishoom" opens up in
theaters on July 29. (PTI)
much of which has been displayed.
Each matchbox, he says, has a
unique story to tell and "not everyone maybe able to understand
them." The design and pattern of
the various matchboxes are fascinating to serious hobbyists like
Hemmady, whose collection of
matchbox labels from the 1890s till
the present date.
To satisfy his growing interest,
the city-based collector says he did
a lot of research into piecing together the trends in the design and
packaging of matchboxes. . For instance, he says, for the last 200
years the basic design of a standard
sized matchbox has not changed
and remained more or less the same.
"It is however, very difficult to
collect information on the subject
because manufacturers and dealers
are not very forthcoming. I assume
that they themselves do not have
any record of this as the sector is
small scale and highly unorganised," says Hemmady. Certain things
like why "a matchbox brand 'Three
Mangoes' is available only in the
state of Andhra Pradesh" or why
there is a brand of matchboxes under the brand name 'Ship' exists
when no state produces a ship in India," continue to baf fle Hemmady.
Among his collections are match-
boxes tha t have a Bollywood actresses on its cover like pictures of
present day Kareena Kapoor Khan
to yesteryear ones like Suraiya.
Matchbox labels were also used as
"a very good medium of advertisements." "Specially designed labels
and brands were put out for sale as
well as freely distributed with
other products," says Hemmady.
The collector says it is much more
useful to spend on buying matchbox
and matchbox labels rather than
forking out "Rs 2000 on a dinner or
Rs 400 on watching movies. You can
cook a better quality food at your
home in less than the amount you
will spend in a food point and watch
the movies on television after a
month or so of their release." Meanwhile, the exhibition that opened on
May 27 is set to continue till June 3
and is divided into different sections like mythology, art, architecture, the Swadeshi movement, film,
advertising and messaging. (PTI)
‘7 HOURS TO GO’ cast visited iLEAD
KOLKATA, MAY 31 /--/ The lead cast Shiv Pandit, Vipin
Sharma, Sandeepa Dhar and Himanshu Malik of Bollywood
thriller movie which directed and written by Saurabh Varma's
7 HOURS TO GO visited iLEAD campus for the promotion
of their upcoming film 7 HOURS TO GO on Saturday. Actor
Mr Shiv Pandit, actress Ms Sandeepa Dhar and actor Mr
Himanshu Malik were present along with Mr Pradip Chopra,
Chairman, iLEAD.
iLEAD, The Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and
Development, affiliated to UGC recognized Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad University of Technology (formerly WBUT), is
a name to reckon with in the education sector. The Institute,
currently in its sixth year, has already garnered rave reviews
for its vision to offer world class education to students and
professionals alike. From degree courses at the undergraduate
and post graduate levels to short term industry courses like
digital marketing, photography, event management, soft skills,
guitar lessons, CSR and the newly launched Cambridge Marketing College certification course. iLEAD stands notable
for offering its first ever Real Estate Management Program
India in collaboration with Jadavpur University. Actor Shiv
Pandit was born on June 21, 1984, in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
He has acted in films like Shaitan (2011), Boss (2013) and Leelai
(2012). Sandeepa Dhar is an Indian actress. Sandeepa made
her acting debut in the 2010 Hindi film Isi Life Mein. For her
performance in the film, she was nominated for the Film fare
Award for Best Female Debut, Star Screen Award for Most
Promising Newcomer and Stardust Award for Superstar of
Tomorrow. Sandeepa did a cameo in Dabangg 2. She received
a very positive review by the famous film critic Komal Nahta
for her performance in Dabangg 2. And she also received critical
acclaim for Global Baba and her brief but very effective performance in Sajid Nadiadwala's Heropanti. Sandeepa Dhar
trained in MMA for 6 months to prepare for her role as a Mumbai
cop in Saurabh Varma's Investigative Thriller 7 Hours To Go!
Himanshu Malik is an actor and writer, known for Tum Bin...:
Love Will Find a Way(2001), Jungle (2000) and Khwahish
(2003). The film is a fast paced investigative thriller set in
Mumbai, present day. Inspired by true event, the film revolves
around a hostage crisis and what happens within 7 hours after that incident.
(Right to left) Actor Shiv Pandit, Mr Pradip Chopra
Chairman ILEAD, Actress Sandeepa Dhar and Actor
Himanshu Mulik
UK’s Tate gallery gears up for Bhupen Khakhar retrospective
MUMBAI, MAY 31/--/
Actor Randeep Hooda says
he and superstar Salman
Khan are good friends and
have same kind of sense of
humour as well as interests.
The two actors worked together for the first time in
Sajid Nadiadwala's directorial venture "Kick" and
now the duo will be seen in
Aditya Chopra's home production film "Sultan". "I
think me and Salman are
different kind of friends.
We are other kind of buddies as well (laughs). We
have similar interests and
very similar sense of humour," Randeep told PTI.
Thwe 39-year-old actor,
however was not willing to
share details about "similar
interests". The duo seem to
share a great camaraderie
both on and off screen. "He
(Salman) is a different
breed altog ether...He is a
different case alto gether.
We are good friends of f
screen as well since long
time. With this film (Sultan) we got more time to
spend together," he said. "I
like his company I hope he
likes mine as well. Its good
fun. If this film (Sultan) had
somebody else I wouldn't
have done it. But since he
(Salman) was there I was
like let's do it again," he
added. The "Sarbjit" actor
reveals in "Kick" his role
was full fledged while in
the Ali Abbas Zafar-directed movie he has a small
part to play.
"It's a chapter in Sultan's
life. It is not that bigger a
role," he adds. Randeep
plays the role of a MMA
fighter in his upcoming film
"Do Lafzon Ki Kahani," in
and "Sultan" he is essaying
the role of the 50-year-old
actor's trainer. "Whatever I
learnt in 'Do Lafzon Ki
Kahani' I taught that to
Salman in "Sultan".
I trained for 'Do Lafzon
Ki Kahani' so I know what
the coach does. So it was
simple," he added. Also
starring Anushka Sharma,
"Sultan" is set to release this
Eid. (PTI)
NEW DELHI, MAY 31 /--/ An international retrospective of artist
Bhupen Khakhar, the first since his
death in 2003 is set to begin at the
Tate Modern Art Gallery in London
tomorrow and brings together the
artist's works from across five decades and collections across the
world.
'Bhupen Khakhar: You Can't
Please All', which is set to continue
till November 6, is being sponsored
by Deutsche Bank and has been
made possible by the support of
city-based Kiran Nadar Museum of
Art (KNMA) as part of its ongoing
drive to promote the work of important Indian artists across the globe.
Curated by Chris Dercon, Director,
Tate Modern and Nada Raza, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern the exhibition will also travel to Deutsche
Bank Kunsthalle in Berlin in November 2016. Renowned for his vibrant palette, unique style and bold
examination of class and sexuality,
Khakhar played a central role in
modern Indian art but was also a key
international figure in 20th century
painting. Khakhar's works were
shown at the Tate Gallery in 1982 as
part of 'Six Indian Painters' and in
'Century City' in 2001. Born in
Baroda, the accountant-turned-artist was among the first to freely express his sexuality. The retrospective
includes major works on canvas, luminous watercolour paintings and
experimental ceramics created by
Khakhar.
After completing an MA in Art
Criticism at the Faculty of Fine Arts,
Maharaja Siyajirao University,
Khakhar began experimenting with
collages with his early paintings depicted the ordinary lives of workers
and tradesmen, such as 'The De Lux
Tailors' (1972) and 'Barber's Shop'
(1973). His portraits captured the
modern male subject with extraordinary pathos, echoed in the hollowed eyes and piercing gaze of
'Hathayogi' (1978) or 'Man with a
Bouquet of Plastic Flowers' (1975).
As he gained confidence as a painter,
Khakhar went on to combine popular and painterly aesthetics, absorbing diverse art historical influences
with ease, from Indian miniature and
devotional iconography to 14th century Sienese painting and contemporary pop art. The retrospective
show derives its name from his seminal work 'You Can't Please All' (1981)
that he painted following his time in
Europe. Incidentally the Tate has
acquired the iconic painting that
depicts a life size figure on a balcony
watching characters from an ancient
Aesop fable. This confessional painting signalled Khakhar's self awareness as a gay man and suggests personal difficulties he faced at the time.
"We are extremely pleased to be
part of this iconic Bhupen Khakhar
show. His work is immensely significant in the pantheon of Indian art
and we are delighted to be lending
important works from the KNMA
collection to the Tate show," Kiran
Nadar, Chair person, KNMA said.
"KNMA is committed to showcasing
the best Indian art around the world
and also facilitate exhibitions of Indian artists to expose them to wider
and more diverse audiences" she
said.
The KNMA also exhibited a retrospective of artist Nasreen
Mohamedi, which was also one of
the inaugural exhibitions of the Met
Breuer in New York. Meanwhile, the
Khakhar exhibition at the Tate features more than 70 works of the artist
is part of the opening of the Tate
Modern's new extension, set to open
later in June and is set to feature recent acquisitions from South Asia
including works by Sheela Gowda
and Sheba Chhachhi. Khakhar was
part of a lively community of artists
and writers in Baroda where his
home became a gathering place to
meet and exchange ideas, even for
visiting artists such as Howard
Hodgkin and Dexter Dalwood.
The artist then spent six months
as artist in residence at the Bath
Academy of Art which cemented his
links with contemporary British
artists. Also a writer and playwright,
Khakhar was dedicated to storytelling and the illustration of the world
in detail. He worked with Booker
Prize winning author Salman
Rushdie on a special edition of two
stories for which the artist produced
a series of wood cuts. Towards the
end of his life, Khakhar also made
works that expressed his very personal battle with cancer. Works such
as 'Bullet Shot in the Stomach' (2001)
and 'At the End of the Day the Iron
Ingots Came Out' (1999) show the realities of living with his illness in
characteristically unflinching detail. The final work in the exhibition,
the small gold hued painting 'Idiot'
(2003), expressively combines
beauty, rage and irony as one character laughs at another's grimace of
pain. (PTI)
Shraddha,
Aditya wrap
up ‘OK Jaanu’
MUMBAI, MAY 31 /--/
Actors Aditya Roy Kapur
and Shraddha Kapoor have
finished filming their
upcoming romantic film
"OK Jaanu". The Karan
Johar-produced movie has
been directed by Shaad Ali
of "Bunty and Babli" fame.
Sharing a photo from the
film's
set,
Shraddha
t w e e t e d ,
"#OKJAANUWRAP! It's
been a blast with this crazy
gang!!! Going to miss it too
much!!!" The picture shows
the lead actors smiling away
as they pose with the film's
crew.
The movie is a remake
of
filmmaker
Mani
Ratnam's Tamil romantic
drama
"O
Kadhal
Kanmani", which starred
Dulquer Salmaan and
Nithya Menen in the lead
roles.
Gulzar has written the
film's dialogues as well as
the lyrics while Oscar-winner AR Rahman has composed its music. It marks
Shraddha, 27, and 30-yearold Aditya's reunion after
their 2013 superhit love
story "Aashiqui 2", which
catapulted the actors to new
heights of fame. "OK
Jaanu" will hit theatres on
January 13, 2017. (PTI)
Goa begins
preparations to
celebrate Sao
Joao on June 24
PANAJI, MAY 31 /--/With
less than a month left for
Carnival-like Sao Joao festival in Goa, the state tourism department has begun
marketing the event to attract maximum tourists.
Sao Joao is a traditional
Goan festival celebrated on
June 24 every year, State
tourism department said in
a statement here. The carnival-like atmosphere adds to
the charm of the monsoons
where Goans deck up in
colourful costumes, wear
fruit and flower laden
wreaths
called
kopel
(throne) on their heads,
move in processions, partake in floats and last but
not the least, splash into
wells overflowing with rain
water, the department said.
Sao Joao is the Feast of St.
John, the Baptist, the
cousin of Jesus who also
baptised Jesus in River Jordan.
According to the biblical story, Mary, the Mother
of God broke the news to
her sister Elizabeth that she
was going to have a baby
named Jesus. At that time
Elizabeth was pregnant
with John the Baptist who
jumped with joy in Elizabeth s womb on hearing the
news, the department said
quoting the mythological
story. Hence Sao Joao
marks the event of the leap
of joy where young men
and boys jump into wells
and water bodies shouting
Viva Sao Joao , it adds.
The Sao Joao celebrations begins from sunrise to
sunset and is filled with
music, dance, food, fruits,
Goan beverages and a lot
more. A lot of gifts are left
at the bottom of the wells
for the young men and boys
who take the plunge, it
added. (PTI)