Ajinkya Hospital, Girgaum. 1964. The place where my love affair with Mumbai started, as a squalling newborn. A primarily Maharashtrian locality, Girgaum is part of my earliest memories of the city, especially recollections of visits to Samarth Sadan on DD Sathe Marg, the house of my maternal grandparents.
Girgaum was a veritable feast of ever-new sensations and childhood pleasures, with kite flying on 14th January being the highlight of the year. I still make it a point to revisit the place every year to pursue one of my favorite sports.
Girgaum also introduced me to the concept of street cinema. Traditional festivals like Gokulashthami and Ganesh Chaturthi were characterized with short films being screened in the various streets, their soundtracks mingling with each other and with the sounds of Mumbai’s daily living to invoke an experience that was far more immediate than any movie theatre.
If Girgaum was early childhood, it was Bandra that shaped my more conscious years. Still a developing suburb when I was a school bag toting youngster studying in St. Theresa’s High School, the area has always had a strong Catholic heritage.
In those days, Bandra was more than a suburb – it was almost an independent township. These, remember, were the pre-flyover days, and a lot of people in South or Central Bombay would find Bandra to be really distant, treating a trip here as akin to leaving the city and going out on a picnic. Over the years it has became a Sindhi-rich community, and most of my neighborhood friends are invariably Sindhis. Similarly, Pali Hill, termed as India’s answer to Beverley Hills, has gradually acquired a character of its own -- becoming a prime estate for the city’s rich and the famous, brimming with the homes of most of Mumbai’s film industry elites.
School picnics had us exploring Borivali National Park and the five great lakes - Powai, Vihar, Vaitarna, Tulsi and Tansa Lake, on the outskirts of Mumbai. I remember being extremely frustrated at not being allowed to go in for a swim, little knowing that the city’s water supply was in danger of getting contaminated.
Then came Mithibai College, which took me to the Juhu-Vile Parle Scheme, another of Mumbai’s landmarks. Primarily a Gujarati settlement, it finally brought home to me the adage that birds of a feather do flock together. Mumbai, I finally realized, was a city with distinct pockets for the various communities, yet which had managed to integrate its diversities so seamlessly that it took me almost 20 years to realize the fact.
But my most enlivening explorations of Mumbai began when I entered the film industry as an actor. My first shoot was for Mahesh Bhatt's Naam, and I was to report at a place called Ballard Pier. Ballard Pier??!!?? Where was that? Even the name seemed peculiar. To simplify matters I took a train to Victoria Terminus and then relinquished the task of hunting the place out to a cabbie. Ballard Pier turned out to be in Docks area. A riot scene was being shot, and it was taking a long time to set up. As this was my first shoot, I was very edgy, and decided to take a walk to calm my nerves. That night I walked all over Ballard Pier and discovered its old-world charm, and knew that it was a place I was never likely to forget again.
The next time I got an opportunity to become a part of a Mumbai-based shoot was in Saeed Akhtar Mirza's Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro, a movie about a small time
crook on the path of self-discovery. I played the character of Abdul, Salim Langda’s buddy. These fictional characters inhabited the very real areas of Dongri and Do Tanki, pre-dominantly a Muslim community. These were places that I had only heard about quite a bit, but had never seen. And the 35-days that we spent there doing our homework on the lingo and lifestyles of the place were a lesson in how most of Mumbai lives.
I was a little apprehensive about spending so much time in the city’s underbelly, but was surprised to find that the place was far more open and real than most of the haunts of the richer and more famous, its people enveloping us in a warmth and hospitality that was all the more charming because of its lack of superficiality. If my rendering of Abdul has managed to give the viewers even a glimpse of Dongri’s true character, I shall consider it one of my best performances as an actor.
Pehla Nasha, my directorial debut, was a total counterpoint to the world of Dongri, set as it was in the swank localities of Malabar hill and Walkeshwar. This was moneyed Mumbai at its ritziest best – though, I could not help but experience a pang of nostalgia for all the old bungalows and lush forests that have been replaced by the back-to-back high-rises. The sea facing areas, however, are still a panorama of refreshing sea breezes and one of the most dramatic views of the famed Queen’s Necklace.
Surprisingly, the project that took me right to the core of Mumbai was BP Singh-Pradeep Uppoor's CID, in which I played the CID officer Virendra. This television series consists of different stories every week, and each story takes the officers to various areas of the city in the course of their investigation. This was a downright treat for someone like me, who had by now started cherishing the fringe benefits of discovering places while acting or directing. It took me to Ghatkopar, Mulund, Kalyan and various other parts of Mumbai, and brought a veritable smorgasmaboard of experiences, sights, smells and sensations that have been mentally filed away for use in future ventures.
And use them I will, as Mumbai is too precious and rich an experience to be allowed to stagnate. Even though Lagaan did not provide an opportunity for a Mumbai-based shoot, it is the city has helped shape the person I am – as an actor, as a director, and as an individual. It has also taught me that an exceptional film does not come merely by the brilliance of scripts or scintillating performances by the actors. It comes by understanding the land where you root the story, by understanding the people whom you wish to replicate. Mumbai is more than just Film City. It is an experience that stays with you in every one of its myriad areas, and fashions your subconscious wherever it is that you are shooting – whether in India or abroad.
With Lagaan, though, there started another journey of learning – the heartland of Bhuj (Kutch), which otherwise might just have remained the stuff that newspaper headlines are made of. But that, as the great bard said, is another story altogether!
Read the complete transcript in India Today Plus (November, 2003)
September 29, 2003
September 27, 2003
September 25, 2003
If you've one of those Murphy's Laws days when everything that could possibly go wrong, does go wrong, you can well understand my trauma! Was working till 6 in the morning to complete some very tight deadlines, and then my internet connections decided to conk it, so could not send the pieces on time! Have two connections, rather three connections -- one on broadband and two on VSNL, and can you believe that neither of them were working till 7:00 in the evening? Then my cell decides to join the fray and the signal goes off on that too! Have just been through some of the most horrifying and frustrating hours of my existence. Would not wish this on my worst enemy!
Received invites from three of my favorite places for what seem like really fun events...all happening on the same day and at the same time!
To cap it all off, have to go see Koi Mil Gaya for a second time, with a friend as her b'day treat! Just saw it this weekend, and don't think its going to be particularly great a second time round, and that also so soon. Especially when I am going to be totally hyper and pre-occupied about all the work that's piled up on my desk. But this is a very dear friend, and, what the hell...anything for a good friendship! Right?
Received invites from three of my favorite places for what seem like really fun events...all happening on the same day and at the same time!
To cap it all off, have to go see Koi Mil Gaya for a second time, with a friend as her b'day treat! Just saw it this weekend, and don't think its going to be particularly great a second time round, and that also so soon. Especially when I am going to be totally hyper and pre-occupied about all the work that's piled up on my desk. But this is a very dear friend, and, what the hell...anything for a good friendship! Right?
September 24, 2003
Its raining cats and dogs out here :)
I just love the rains....these unexpected showers have really made my week! Love watching the rains rolling in from the horizon, and the sudden shudder as they hit my building. Its a slim-line structure, on the edge of the waterline, and the feeling is amazing. Then everything just goes white in front of my study's window, and cant see a thing. Its like being all alone in the middle of nowhere. That's when I make myself a steaming hot cup of capuccino and work the comp with newly inspired creativity, or fling open the doors and step out onto the terrace to get totally soaked. Pls pls pls pls God, let it rain a few more weeks!!!!
I just love the rains....these unexpected showers have really made my week! Love watching the rains rolling in from the horizon, and the sudden shudder as they hit my building. Its a slim-line structure, on the edge of the waterline, and the feeling is amazing. Then everything just goes white in front of my study's window, and cant see a thing. Its like being all alone in the middle of nowhere. That's when I make myself a steaming hot cup of capuccino and work the comp with newly inspired creativity, or fling open the doors and step out onto the terrace to get totally soaked. Pls pls pls pls God, let it rain a few more weeks!!!!
September 22, 2003
Just got back from a weekend in Pune. Managed to get down there after four whole months, though my mom and brother live there, my dad drives down from Bombay nearly every weekend to meet them, and its just a three-hour drive away...speaks a lot for the crazily hectic lives that we live!
Which reminds me of this really interesting article in this month's L'Officiel, where Sangeeta Wadhwani, the Features Ed, writes about the "Superwoman Syndrome" of the New Indian Woman, who "...lives between deadlines, a web of relationships, the gym and the kids," thereby spreading herself way too thin for her own good. Found so many echoes of my life there. Sangeeta, true to form, refrains from treading the traditional, cliched journo pathway of criticising contemporary lifestyles and painting all of today's women as victims, but instead takes a hard look at reality, accepts its and suggests ways of coping. Quite a refreshing change!
Which reminds me of this really interesting article in this month's L'Officiel, where Sangeeta Wadhwani, the Features Ed, writes about the "Superwoman Syndrome" of the New Indian Woman, who "...lives between deadlines, a web of relationships, the gym and the kids," thereby spreading herself way too thin for her own good. Found so many echoes of my life there. Sangeeta, true to form, refrains from treading the traditional, cliched journo pathway of criticising contemporary lifestyles and painting all of today's women as victims, but instead takes a hard look at reality, accepts its and suggests ways of coping. Quite a refreshing change!
September 19, 2003
Film Remix Nights at Red Light...
DJ Tushqa plays original high voltage phillum remixes, revamped, refreshed and reloaded at Red Light’s Remix. Tomorrow (20th September) sees the launch of these
Saturdays with Mumbai’s party crowd grooving to the eclectic beats. Catch the excitement at Red Light, Kala Ghoda from 10.00 p.m. onwards.
Saturdays with Mumbai’s party crowd grooving to the eclectic beats. Catch the excitement at Red Light, Kala Ghoda from 10.00 p.m. onwards.
September 18, 2003
Me absolutely drooling over the new Movado Semi Moon watch, launched by Twinkle Khanna at the International Watch Exhibition yesterday. The Semi Moon is a distinctive remake, closely reflecting a uniquely shaped timepiece designed by Movado in 1914. It is distinguished by a refined half moon-shaped stainless steel case. Vintage-inspired detailing includes an impressive parchment-colored retro dial with gold painted Arabic numerals, leafshaped hands with black shadowing, scratch-resistant uniquely curved sapphire crystal casing and a genuine brown matte aligator strap. Whew!
At Rs. 50,000 a piece, this is definitely one thing that's currently topping my things-to-acquire-before-I-die lists!
Check it out at the International Watch Exhibition, World Trade Center, Cuffe Parade till September 21, and at the Swiss Gallery (Heera Panna) or Watches of Switzerland (Linking Road) after that.
At Rs. 50,000 a piece, this is definitely one thing that's currently topping my things-to-acquire-before-I-die lists!
Check it out at the International Watch Exhibition, World Trade Center, Cuffe Parade till September 21, and at the Swiss Gallery (Heera Panna) or Watches of Switzerland (Linking Road) after that.
Jackie Shroff Dwells on Bombay...
Aamchi Mumbai. My Mumbai. The city I was born in. The city I live in. This is truly the city of dreams, the city of contrasts, the city of hope, joy, despair and new beginnings at every corner!
Why do I love Mumbai? There is so much that is there about this city that it is very difficult to pinpoint any one reason. I don’t think anybody can explain why they love Mumbai – it is an experience that has to be lived, a city that demands complete immersion in its cultures, in its pace of living!
My earliest memories of Mumbai are of my childhood home in the Teen Batti area, at the junction of Malabar Hills and Walkeshwar Road. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning and going with my father for a bun maskaa paav and chai at Keki Seth’s Irani joint, sitting with him while he read the newspaper, and then holding his fingers while walking back as the early morning sunrays drenched the whole area with a magical glow…it all seems so far back in time. Yet, that is the Mumbai that I shall always remember, and keep trying to recreate for my children today.
I used to be a total introvert as a kid, and would go to sleep early just so that I could wake up before everybody else and explore the different nooks and corners of Teen Batti, and later the rest of the city, on my own.
Those were the days of safety, of tranquility. That was before my brother died an untimely death in the sea, and before Mumbai was rocked by the riots and the bombings. Two tragedies – one intensely personal; the other shared with millions of others across the country. But there is something about the city that continues to hold me back.
Despite all its problems, Mumbai is a survivor. There is a certain magic about it, a certain quality that binds you for life. When the British fashioned the city, they proudly proclaimed that they had built a city for one million people, and that this city would never have any problems related to space or population. Today Mumbai houses more than 16 million people! What brings them here? What keeps them here?
Yahaan ka bolchaal, yahaan ke log, appun ka phillum industry …sub kuchch to yahin par hai. Glamour, theatre, arts and culture, industry, entertainment…life is complete here. Jehangir Art Gallery and the Prince of Wales Museum stand juxtaposed against the city’s industrial hub in the Fort and Nariman Point areas, where everybody from Tatas’ to the Ambanis’ hold court; theatres like NCPA and Prithvi are as integral as the grounds that house myriads of international and national fashion shows every weekend; little nuggets of history like the Queen’s Necklace and the Gateway of India blend seamlessly with the largest film industry in the world; and the sandy beaches at Chowpatty and Juhu compete with the pubs and nightclubs like Athena that come alive when the sun goes down.
Many people ask me how they should “get to know” Mumbai. According to me you can only discover Mumbai if you are willing to loose yourself in it, forget all your inhibitions. Have the vadaa paav at Shivaji Park and the paani poori at Chowpatty, Saarvi Nagpada’s seekh roti and Shalimar’s biryani. Then move on to Bade Miyan behind the Taj Hotel for the best kebabs in town and to Mahesh Lunch Home for the most amazing seafood anywhere in the country. Trattoria’s pizzas, Maratha’s Lebanese food and Regent’s Chinese fare need no introduction. The great thing about Mumbai is that it has something for everybody, and for people like me just love every sampling every nuance. Which is why I guess, even after so many years, I am still not tired of exploring the city.
On other days it is bliss to just sit by the waters of the majestic Indian Ocean and enjoy Mumbai’s favorite – seeng chana – or relish the tranquil charms of a simple, steaming hot bhutta in the monsoons. Or climb aboard the colorful horse carriages that stream past Marine Drive and Nariman Point in the nights. These are my little oases of relaxation amidst the dynamic activity that is Mumbai.
Mumbai was created by welding together seven islands into one land mass. To me, it seems more like a blending of a multitude of cultures, of a coming together of contrasting shades that would be disjointed in any other city except Mumbai. But then, Mumbai is not just any other city! And no other city can ever be quite like it.
Read the complete transcript in India Today Plus (January, 2003)
Why do I love Mumbai? There is so much that is there about this city that it is very difficult to pinpoint any one reason. I don’t think anybody can explain why they love Mumbai – it is an experience that has to be lived, a city that demands complete immersion in its cultures, in its pace of living!
My earliest memories of Mumbai are of my childhood home in the Teen Batti area, at the junction of Malabar Hills and Walkeshwar Road. Waking up in the wee hours of the morning and going with my father for a bun maskaa paav and chai at Keki Seth’s Irani joint, sitting with him while he read the newspaper, and then holding his fingers while walking back as the early morning sunrays drenched the whole area with a magical glow…it all seems so far back in time. Yet, that is the Mumbai that I shall always remember, and keep trying to recreate for my children today.
I used to be a total introvert as a kid, and would go to sleep early just so that I could wake up before everybody else and explore the different nooks and corners of Teen Batti, and later the rest of the city, on my own.
Those were the days of safety, of tranquility. That was before my brother died an untimely death in the sea, and before Mumbai was rocked by the riots and the bombings. Two tragedies – one intensely personal; the other shared with millions of others across the country. But there is something about the city that continues to hold me back.
Despite all its problems, Mumbai is a survivor. There is a certain magic about it, a certain quality that binds you for life. When the British fashioned the city, they proudly proclaimed that they had built a city for one million people, and that this city would never have any problems related to space or population. Today Mumbai houses more than 16 million people! What brings them here? What keeps them here?
Yahaan ka bolchaal, yahaan ke log, appun ka phillum industry …sub kuchch to yahin par hai. Glamour, theatre, arts and culture, industry, entertainment…life is complete here. Jehangir Art Gallery and the Prince of Wales Museum stand juxtaposed against the city’s industrial hub in the Fort and Nariman Point areas, where everybody from Tatas’ to the Ambanis’ hold court; theatres like NCPA and Prithvi are as integral as the grounds that house myriads of international and national fashion shows every weekend; little nuggets of history like the Queen’s Necklace and the Gateway of India blend seamlessly with the largest film industry in the world; and the sandy beaches at Chowpatty and Juhu compete with the pubs and nightclubs like Athena that come alive when the sun goes down.
Many people ask me how they should “get to know” Mumbai. According to me you can only discover Mumbai if you are willing to loose yourself in it, forget all your inhibitions. Have the vadaa paav at Shivaji Park and the paani poori at Chowpatty, Saarvi Nagpada’s seekh roti and Shalimar’s biryani. Then move on to Bade Miyan behind the Taj Hotel for the best kebabs in town and to Mahesh Lunch Home for the most amazing seafood anywhere in the country. Trattoria’s pizzas, Maratha’s Lebanese food and Regent’s Chinese fare need no introduction. The great thing about Mumbai is that it has something for everybody, and for people like me just love every sampling every nuance. Which is why I guess, even after so many years, I am still not tired of exploring the city.
On other days it is bliss to just sit by the waters of the majestic Indian Ocean and enjoy Mumbai’s favorite – seeng chana – or relish the tranquil charms of a simple, steaming hot bhutta in the monsoons. Or climb aboard the colorful horse carriages that stream past Marine Drive and Nariman Point in the nights. These are my little oases of relaxation amidst the dynamic activity that is Mumbai.
Mumbai was created by welding together seven islands into one land mass. To me, it seems more like a blending of a multitude of cultures, of a coming together of contrasting shades that would be disjointed in any other city except Mumbai. But then, Mumbai is not just any other city! And no other city can ever be quite like it.
Read the complete transcript in India Today Plus (January, 2003)
September 17, 2003
Flavors of the week...
1. Olives new menu...Trust AD Singh to continuously keep rejuvenating Bombay's palate. Olive serves up a complete new menu all of next month, along with a few old favorites. Check out the chocolate deserts, and Nick, the dishy British bartender :)
2. Hip Hop Friday Night at Red Light at Kala Ghoda, where comedian Ash Chandler bartends and lightens up the evening, while DJ Tushqa spins the records. 9:30pm onwards. In association with Bacardi limon.
3. Rules: A laugh-a-minute, self-acclaimed formula film, that will have you alternately rolling in the aisles and drooling over Milind Soman! Hoping to see more of Meera Vasudevan, the female lead, very, very soon...
2. Hip Hop Friday Night at Red Light at Kala Ghoda, where comedian Ash Chandler bartends and lightens up the evening, while DJ Tushqa spins the records. 9:30pm onwards. In association with Bacardi limon.
3. Rules: A laugh-a-minute, self-acclaimed formula film, that will have you alternately rolling in the aisles and drooling over Milind Soman! Hoping to see more of Meera Vasudevan, the female lead, very, very soon...
September 16, 2003
Spanish Nights in Colaba...
Checked out Caliente yet? Its this wonderful new Spanish lounge-bar-cum-gourmet restaurant that seems well set on the way to gastronomical fame in the upper echelons of Southern Mumbai.
Tucked away in a corner of Wodehouse Road in Colaba, Caliente is nestled in the ground floor of a quaint old heritage building. The stylish eatery is divided into three distinct areas called the Bar, the Lounge and the main dining room. With a strong emphasis on elegance and minimalist chic, Caliente has been stylishly remodeled by proprietors Romil Ratra and Vikram Munshi, to include the aesthetic functionality of whitewashed walls, tables set with bamboo mats, votive candles, high ceilings, muted lighting and tone-on-tone colors to bring up the comfort level, even as the professional servers understand the art of making guests feel at home.
Caliente invites guests to dine on a series of tapas, small plates of foods that typically revel in garlic, spicy paprika and other take-no-prisoners seasonings. The tapas are many, supplemented by a list of entrees that include the Pantzaria Skorthalia salad (oven–roasted beets, red onions, olives & macaroni), Ensalada de Pollo Escabechado con Verdures salad (marinated chicken, pickled vegetables and herbs) and saffron infused chicken soup. The inevitable Paella, the rich rice casserole flavored with a choice of seafood, vegetables or chicken, that many consider the quintessential preparation of Spanish cuisine is the definite must-have amongst the main dishes. The lunch menu includes an exhaustive range of sandwiches and pastas.
Books on Spanish cuisine generally agree that the term tapa originally meant a tiny piece of bread, covered with cheese or sausage and arranged like a lid over a pre-meal glass of sherry. Whatever the truth of this, such basic tapas as plates of Paella Croquettes, Lobster stuffed lychees and thoroughly appetizing Chicken Mortadella with smoked pimento go happily with the Spanish red wines.
The wine list is impressive yet approachable. Sangria does rule the ambience, but a foray into their selection of cocktails is highly recommended. And do not, under any circumstances, miss the desert platter, especially the chocolate delicacies.
Is that not that sensual indulgence at its very best?
Tucked away in a corner of Wodehouse Road in Colaba, Caliente is nestled in the ground floor of a quaint old heritage building. The stylish eatery is divided into three distinct areas called the Bar, the Lounge and the main dining room. With a strong emphasis on elegance and minimalist chic, Caliente has been stylishly remodeled by proprietors Romil Ratra and Vikram Munshi, to include the aesthetic functionality of whitewashed walls, tables set with bamboo mats, votive candles, high ceilings, muted lighting and tone-on-tone colors to bring up the comfort level, even as the professional servers understand the art of making guests feel at home.
Caliente invites guests to dine on a series of tapas, small plates of foods that typically revel in garlic, spicy paprika and other take-no-prisoners seasonings. The tapas are many, supplemented by a list of entrees that include the Pantzaria Skorthalia salad (oven–roasted beets, red onions, olives & macaroni), Ensalada de Pollo Escabechado con Verdures salad (marinated chicken, pickled vegetables and herbs) and saffron infused chicken soup. The inevitable Paella, the rich rice casserole flavored with a choice of seafood, vegetables or chicken, that many consider the quintessential preparation of Spanish cuisine is the definite must-have amongst the main dishes. The lunch menu includes an exhaustive range of sandwiches and pastas.
Books on Spanish cuisine generally agree that the term tapa originally meant a tiny piece of bread, covered with cheese or sausage and arranged like a lid over a pre-meal glass of sherry. Whatever the truth of this, such basic tapas as plates of Paella Croquettes, Lobster stuffed lychees and thoroughly appetizing Chicken Mortadella with smoked pimento go happily with the Spanish red wines.
The wine list is impressive yet approachable. Sangria does rule the ambience, but a foray into their selection of cocktails is highly recommended. And do not, under any circumstances, miss the desert platter, especially the chocolate delicacies.
Is that not that sensual indulgence at its very best?
September 15, 2003
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