A Dangal year

Dangal year

It's been a Dangal year for the Indian woman, in all fields. The year had started with the news that Deepika Padukone will start shooting for the international project, XXX, The Return of Xander Cage. She had just captured and enraptured the Indian cine goer, starring as Mastani in the movie Bajirao Mastani. Before her Priyanka Chopra had wowed the international audience with ‘Quantico’.

In tennis, Sania continued her winning spree in the women's doubles where she partnered different partners to become the first Indian no. 1. She had certainly realised her potential and how!

But the real fun started in the sporting arena with Saina Nehwal winning the Australian open in June-16. It was the best preparation for the Olympics which were to follow in Aug. But her dreams were shattered due to knee inflammation during the Olympics resulting in her loss in the early rounds itself.

The real star for the Indians was the little dynamo, Dipa Karmakar in a sporting event where Indians never qualified. But here she was with the Produnova vault also known as the death vault. A vault so difficult that not even the superstar American or Russian gymnasts would even attempt it. But Dipa not only attempted it, she excelled at it. All this with the most basic equipment. And, if only the perfectionist American gymnast, Simone Biles, had not given her best in the last round, Dipa would have been the first Indian gymnast with an Olympics medal. But she managed to win the hearts of a hungry nation.

At the other end of the spectrum was the elegantly tall and athletic, Sindhu. Now what can one say about this girl! Just as Indian fans were recovering from the shocking loss of Saina, here was another Indian girl quietly advancing to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals where she decimated the Japanese girl and suddenly an Indian girl was in an Olympics finals. And what a fight it was against the world no. 1, Carolina Marin! She stretched her to three rounds before going down fighting. And the gesture which she showed at the end of the title fight, when she went to the opposite half, to pick up the overwhelmed champion, made her the darling of the entire sporting fraternity. And to prove that it was no flash in the pan performance, she went on to win the super series in China Open and finishing as runners up in Dubai.

But the girl who surprised India was Sakshi Malik, who came from behind in almost all rounds to finally win the bronze medal in women's wrestling. Geeta Phogat and Babita Phogat showed the way, and Sakshi was a worthy successor. But more about that later.

Going back to the world of movies, who can forget that movie called ‘Pink’. The first reaction was, what was a superstar like Amitabh doing in a silly titled film like ‘Pink’. But the film itself was an eye opener which gave a strong message, when a woman says No, “No, simply means, No!”…Period.

And then came Dangal! Another gem from Mr. Perfectionist, Amir Khan. And here Amir takes a back seat, and allows the wrestling girls take centre stage. Yes a movie on wrestling, women's wrestling to be precise and on Mahavir Singh Phogat and his two champions, Geeta and Babita. What a story and what endearing and powerful performance from all the girls. Excellent physical and heartfelt acting by all the four girls, Zaira Wasim, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Suhani Bhatnagar and Sanya Malhotra. Out of the many powerful scenes, one scene which stays with you long after the film is over, is when a young bride speaks from the bottom of her heart to convince the young girls, the unique qualities of their father, where he is fighting against a male centric society to construct a substantial future for his daughters. If this film doesn't motivate Indian girls to dream big, to work with single minded focus, and finally achieve their dreams, I would certainly be surprised.

And finally a dangal year for many of the anonymous Indian ladies, who silently work to make their family life, a resounding success walking the tightrope to balance their work life with their family responsibilities.

Three cheers!!

Yatindra Tawde

The first Superstar

The first Superstar

My very first movie starred Rajesh Khanna. The movie was ‘Hathi mere Sathi’ and I was more enamoured with the cute elephant than the movie itself. I must have been 3-4 years then and ‘chal chal chal mere sathi  oh mere hathi…’ was on my lips for a long time, so I am told by my mother. In those days movie watching was a luxury for us middle class people and we did not watch many movies in the theatres, though Sunday movie on Doordarshan was a favourite pastime later on.  As I grew older, Amitabh Bachchan had made his mark on celluloid as well as in the minds of the fans. But it was Rajesh Khanna who was the first Superstar. A very cherubic face, ideally suited for romantic roles. But he proved himself in a suspense thriller like ‘Ittefaq’. He was equally proficient in comic roles, watch ‘Bawarchi’. The way he endears himself to the eccentric family was a treat to watch. And what can one say about the movie ‘Aradhana’!. The greatest partnership, not between the Superstar and his heroine, but with his playback singer, the iconic Kishore Kumar. Evergreen and blockbuster songs, one following the other. Followed up by ‘Sacha Jhutha’ which was a big hit and then came ‘Kati Patang’. That partnership with Kishore again giving memorable songs, in this film the focus was more on Asha Parekh. If anyone had any doubts about his acting caliber, all doubts were overcome when ‘Anand’ came along. The songs were again a super hit but this movie belonged to Rajesh Khanna. A terminally ill person who lives life to the fullest, his easy camaraderie with Amitabh Bachchan was an endearing highlight of the movie. Equally memorable was his scenes with Johnny Walker, especially the dialogue, “hum sub rangmanch ki kathputhli hai jahanpanah aur hamari dor uparwale ki hath mein…”. And when he finally breathes his last, followed by ‘Babumoshai…”, the entire nation cried silent tears. Immediately followed up with ‘Amar Prem’ , another movie with extraordinary songs, “Chingari koi Bhadke…” and that eternal dialogue, “Pushpa, I hate tears…”. ‘Namak haram’ was the movie where The Angry Young man of Amitabh showed his first glimpse but the songs picturised on Rajesh Khanna backed by the powerful vocals of Kishore, stayed with you long after the movie was over. There are few more movies where Rajesh Khanna mesmerised the cine goers and he will always remain in our hearts.

Yatindra Tawde

Cycling away to...

Not riding but diving …

I have written some posts about my friends in Kolhapur, laughing at their expense. Now let me write about myself. It must have been 2nd year or the third, I am not sure which. Like every college day, I was proceeding towards the college all alone, on my cycle. Just like a horse rider rides his horse in all his elegance, I rode the cycle, my hair flying in the wind. And then suddenly, it happened. One moment I was riding high speed on the cycle and the next moment, the cycle had suddenly come to a dead stop, the inertia launching my body through the air, the cycle falling below me to the wayside, and I felt everything happening in slow motion next. I felt myself flying through the air, I was approaching the ground, my hands trying to prevent the fall. But it was all in vain, the momentum was so high, I was sure I would certainly bang my head. In a split second, to prevent my nose or eyes getting injured, I raised my head, my chin hitting the road with a great force. Suddenly a few people passing by had come running towards me, picking me up, drops of blood dripping from my chin. Someone shouted, “bring some turmeric!”. Someone else managed to, and it was applied to my chin. As an afterthought, maybe that action had prevented infection in the wound. Anyway, I was escorted to the colony retired doctor, and first thing I asked, “will there be stitches? I don't want any.” And the kind aged lady doctor was kind enough not to suggest any stitches but prescribed lot of antibiotics. By this time most of my friends had joined, and as friends always do, started pulling my leg, even in that state. Later I found the reason for this accident. The front wheel bumper had got unscrewed , the mudguard had dislodged from its place, and had acted as a sudden break by entangling itself in the front wheel.

Let me tell you, the injury actually had deserved stitches for faster recovery, but since no stitches were put, the recovery took a long time requiring change in the dressing every day. And as I was still taking the antibiotics , I had lost my taste, my intake of food went down, and my stomach was always upset. I lost weight like anything, maybe I must have lost at least 10-12 kg. My aunt, my cousin brother, my vahini, who were my local caretakers, were highly worried and my parents were called immediately. They arrived from Mumbai the next day. I was taken to another doctor, and under the care of that doctor and the loving attention of my aunt and parents, I was on the path to recovery.

To this day, my friends enjoy pulling my leg on this incident and I still carry the scar under my chin, now hidden by the French beard.

Yatindra Tawde

The fishy tale

The fishy tale

It was some years after the Engineering course was completed and before most of us friends had married, except perhaps one or two. We had planned an overnight picnic to Marve beach, where we went by a rickety boat. There were about 6-7 of us. We reached by evening and had booked a room to stay. The evening was spent in frolicking on the beach and the night stretched beyond midnight in lot of friendly banter accompanied clinking of the glasses. The entire next day, being Sunday, was mostly by the sea, all of us enjoying getting drenched by the surf. Finally it was time to go home and we started back by bus. But before starting, one of our friends decided to get himself some edible souvenir in the form of dried fish. Now you know how fragrant the dried fish are! Some of us bluntly told him not to travel with us, but all this was friendly banter. Finally we got on the bus, our friend promptly occupied a window seat. And since the dried fish was being a nuisance to the other passengers olfactory nerves, our friend held out his hand, carrying his precious cargo in a plastic bag , outside the window, balancing the plastic bag on his little finger. Being very tired from our monkey antics on the beach, most of us slept soundly, through the uneventful journey. When we reached Malad railway station, all of us got down. And suddenly our friend realised that in his sleep, he had let go of his precious cargo. A few of the Malad cats were treated to unexpected feast that evening. And us friends…well we had one more story to be told between ourselves, each one adding his own mirch-masala, to the saga.

Yatindra Tawde

Ek bankla bane nyara

Ek ‘bank’la bane nyara

Bruce Springsteen proudly declared, “Born in the USA…I was born in the USA…”, and all Americans loved him. Why, teens all over the world loved him. We are born in India and are also very proud of this ancient bhumi. But where in India we are born, is also important for us. Being born in the north, south, east or west determines the characteristics of the person. Being born rich or poor brings its own challenges. Being born in which caste is important to the caste as well as to the nation. Any government form will ask so many things, caste, religion, language, state, city, taluka, zilla parishad, it goes on and on. And within families they also ask or discuss about the place of birth, whether in a hospital or at home. But a lady delivered in a bank last week and a new paradigm was established. Now, you are supposed to go to a bank either for withdrawal or for deposit but a new word got associated with the bank, called delivery. One day or the other it was bound to happen.

Since the last one month, the banks have become a the centre of attraction for all the denizens of India, whether rich or poor, irrespective of language, caste, creed, or religion. In fact, if any one from the house or office goes missing for a long time, no one misses him or her. For they are sure that the person would be found at  the nearest ATM or bank. And since so many people started spending so much time near the bank or the ATM, all the four stages of life, why, the very beginning and end of life itself, was bound to happen near the vicinity of the bank or ATM. Thus we had people falling in love in a line, entertaining each other to while away the time, and unfortunately losing their life, in the line of duty, all things, whether good or bad, started happening there. Not before long, some beautiful baby was bound to be delivered in the bank and it happened last week. I am sure some adventurous couple would get married outside, waiting in a line. Though I am not sure, how the Saat pheras would be taken by them. Perhaps they would make the pradakshina of the bank itself. They will surely find some bhatji in the line itself. He would be happy to kill two birds in one shot, withdraw from the bank, at the same time attend to his mantric duties.

But one thing is sure. Almost all banks had their small branches or ATM’s near to the hospitals for the benefit of the patients and their relatives, who could withdraw the required amount without having to go far away. Now the time has come for the hospitals to reciprocate this gesture, considering the high number of births and deaths which have started happening, people waiting for their own turn, whether to withdraw or to die. Each hospital should have its own ambulance giving live treatment then and there itself, to the millions waiting in the queue. Like every school has its own medical room, so too should a bank or the ATM.

Yatindra Tawde

Flat no. 808

Flat no. 808

Rahul and Deepa had recently shifted into the flat. After trying to find a place of their own for a long time, they had finally decided on this flat. It was spacious in spite of being a 1 BHK, it was on the top floor in a building of 8 stories, a terrace flat with a small terrace where Deepa could nurse her gardening passion. Flat no. 808! And in these expensive times, when even 1 BHK were in the range of Rs. 80 lakhs and above, they had got it for dirt cheap Rs. 65 lakhs. There was a reason. But no one told.

One day, early morning, Deepa had just woken up and was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Looking at herself in the mirror, with her dishevelled hair and heavy morning eyes, she was critical of her own looks. After brushing her teeth, she took the napkin from the hanger to wipe her face. And as she turned to leave the bathroom, for a moment she felt someone staring at her. She glanced into the mirror, the reflection glanced back at her. Shaking her head, she left the bathroom. The entire day, the string of tasks ensured that the morning uncomfortable feeling was soon forgotten.

The next morning, after brushing her teeth, as she turned to leave the bathroom, the same thing happened. This time as she glanced into the mirror, her own image, but frozen a few seconds back was staring at her! She felt all her energy drain out causing her feet to buckle, losing her balance, she stumbled out, screaming out Rahul’s name. Rahul, who was still enjoying his morning sleep, woke up with a start. As he rushed towards the bathroom, he saw Deepa quite shaken up and trembling. “What happened, Deepa?” , he asked, concern lit large upon his face. Still shaking Deepa could only stutter, “Mm…mirror!” Rahul pushed open the bathroom door…but the mirror was as normal a mirror can be. “Deepa, there's nothing here. Come here”. But she refused. Gently, Rahul got hold of her hand and guided her towards the bathroom. Both looked into the mirror…but there was nothing. Still Deepa was clinging to Rahul for comfort. Rahul, then took her to the kitchen and made her sit in a chair. “Today I will make tea for you”, and so saying, proceeded to fix up two refreshing cups of tea for themselves. By now, Deepa had got hold of her nerves and like every morning, she got into the task of making their morning breakfast.
Rahul went to the bathroom to get ready for the long day ahead. He finished his brushing and like always, started shaving. He worked up a good lather on his face and after holding the razor in the warm running water, he started shaving. First the right cheek and then his left, he started shaving on the underside of his face, looking at himself in the mirror. Suddenly, he saw his own reflection getting hold of its neck with one hand. He felt himself choking while his reflection proceeded to cut its own neck arteries with slow and deliberate cutting with the razor, the blood spurting out causing the red colour to eventually blind his eyes, as he lost consciousness and he slumped to the floor, darkness enveloping his entire being.

“Breakfast is ready, Rahul” Deepa was calling out to her loving husband. But why was he taking so long? Finally she came to the bathroom to check on him. She banged on the door, it just creaked open. She could feel no movement inside. She pushed at the door and was aghast to see Rahul's body sprawled across the bathroom floor. She cried out her husbands name, but there was no response. With shaking hands she placed her fingers on the throat to feel any pulse…there was none. For a moment she collapsed on Rahul’s body, then picking herself up, she rushed towards the main door and started banging on the neighbours door, all the while shrieking with pain and fear. Her neighbour immediately called the nearby doctor as well as the police. The post mortem showed that Rahul had died due to severe heart attack.

The gossip in the society has now got louder about the revenge of the murdered woman in flat no. 808, murdered by her own husband inside the bathroom. She had seen herself being cruelly asphyxiated by the strong arms of her violent husband, in that very mirror. Her angry soul could not take revenge on her own husband since he died within a month of her murder. So It had taken her revenge on the second pair, who dared to occupy her flat and who come in front of her mirror daily, the mirror which is now her residence. This was the third death in the flat within the last three years.

Deepa has since shifted to her mother’s place and put an ad on the net, to sell off her flat at a dirt cheap value of Rs. 50 lacs. And no, she does not mention anything about the mirror or her husband’s death in the bathroom, to prospective buyers. Ranganath and his wife, Roopa are very interested in this cheap flat, which seems to be a dream come true in these expensive times. Today they are sitting with Deepa to finalise the transaction to their dream home. Or a nightmare!

Yatindra Tawde

Ventilator - a memorable experience

I must say , this movie or rather, an emotional and enjoyable experience, is a great story woven by Rajesh Mapuskar. Right from the start, he manages to grab our attention and sucks you in and makes you a part of his story.  The movie starts with Ashutosh Gowarikar, who stars as a part of the film fraternity, and soon a whole range of characters are introduced. The way the story unfolds, Rajesh Mapuskar, the script writer, has hit a sixer. With such a serious subject and with most of the movie taking place inside a hospital, the movie maintains its humorous vein till the last few minutes of the movie. With more than a hundred characters, all characters have been given memorable dialogues which keep you entertained, and how! And the movie manages to capture the minor issues which are present in any Konkan family, which might appear minor to you but are very important to that particular person, in a very humorous way. While someone is worried about the ensuing Ganpati festival, someone else is worried about the mangoes, someone is worried about toilets whereas someone else wants to advance in his political career. Each one has got his own reason, why he wants the person on the ventilator to survive. But finally, it is the story of a father and his son, their differences and how it takes a serious illness to make the son realise the true worth of his father. A father who has never praised his son in public, almost ignored his existence but at the same time, a father who put in all efforts to save his pre born son, a father who took the one percent chance to save his son’s life. It is also a parallel story of a son who doesn't realise the love of his father till this emergency brings it to the surface. Excellent acting by Jitendra Joshi, Ashutosh Gowarikar, superb character of Nikhil Ratnaparkhi, and the entire ensemble cast of the film make it enjoyable and memorable. I don't know many of the actors in this film, but was happy that even Unknown faces are so capable in Marathi cinema. Hats off to Priyanka Chopra for supporting and producing this gem of a movie. She has dedicated this film to her late father who enthusiastically supported her in following and realising her dreams.

See this film to enjoy and see what really is the caliber of Marathi cinema which has seen so many gems like Bal Gandharva, Katyar kaljat ghusli, Nat Samrath, Happy journey, and so many more in recent times.
Yatindra Tawde