Revisiting Regal

Today I went to see a movie at Regal Cinema after more than a year. Multiplexes have redefined the movie experience so much, that one tends to completely bypass the smaller theaters now. After all who is going to stand for tickets in a slow, longwinding que days in advance when you can book tickets with a few clicks of the keyboard? And what about the range of snacks, beverages, plush washrooms and even more plush seats offered by the multiplex? Regal, in comparison, had no carpeting, clean but basic seats, tucked-away bathrooms and a cooling system that seemed to depend more on mammoth wall-mounted fans than an air conditioner.

However, what Regal also has is history. Not just cinematic history, but memories that encapsulate some of the most golden sociological and architectural moments of Bombay. Its one of the oldest cinemas in the city, built during the Art Deco 1930s. Opened in 1933, it was designed by the famed Charles Stevens, with extensive mirror-work interiors by the Czech artist Karl Schara. The main auditorium had a motif of sunrays in pale orange and jade green, and was designed to seem airy and cool, an oasis in the sweltering Bombay climate. Even in the '30s, Regal used reinforced cement concrete, was fully air conditioned, and had an elevator connecting the underground parking, which was a huge innovation.

It was a place where you dressed up and went to see a movie. A place for socializing as much as cinema, of silks, satins, diamonds and limousines - almost the exclusive privilege of the glittering upper class. Even a couple of years back, it was one of the most luxe cinemas in town, with the priciest tickets and the best pop corn. In fact, it was so premium that we would buy stall tickets in our penny pinching days...the crowd was good, and the balcony simply seemed 'overpriced'.

Cut to today. Now it seems like a haunt for college kids, couples looking for anonymity and the less-than-affluent crowd. The pop corn is still phenomenal, but it cant compete with the multiplexes in either comfort or luxury.

So would I go back? Yes, and not only because its so much easier on the wallet (balcony seats for 4, alongwith snacks and drinks came in at 520 bucks!!), but because watching a movie here was a different experience altogether. What it lacked in glam, it made up in ambience - this is Bombay, this is Bollywood. Try it once and relive the magic.

I am headed to Liberty and Eros next - its time to make new discoveries in old vintages.

Sometimes all you need is a good book, an empty room, a couch to rest your head and silence.

Watching Ta Ra Rum Pum

After ages, a lighthearted hindi film thats actually watchable!! I mean, I am all for meaningful cinema like Provoked and Namesake (I loved both), but after a while you do start craving something that's pure, unaldurated fun - and this movie does just that. Even though its a rather simplistic story, with an even more simplistic, fairy tale ending, but you leave the hall with a smile on your lips and a hope in your heart that things always work out for good people...what better way to spend a lazy Sunday evening?

I am back!!!!

Apologies, apologies, apologies for vanishing.....was slightly busy getting married!! But am now back, so check back frequently for updates!!

Indian????

Vivaah and Dhoom 2. Two films...both hits, both based on their maker's translation of contemporary India. Yet they seem to be miles apart, not only in storylines and fashion styles, but also in terms of the India they attempt to capture on celluloid. Which one is more "India", which one should we believe in and which should be discarded as a sweet fantasy - wonderful, exciting, gripping, but still fantasy??

Vivaah is the story of a young couple, who agree to an arranged marriage that spans practical cultures (he is a squash-playing urbanite from Delhi, she is a Rabindranath Tagore-reading innocent from Madhupur), fall in love at first sight with each other at first sight, respect traditions (they think a million times before meeting each other alone on the rooftop even after the engagement), follow the words of their elders and stick with each other through thick and thin. The romance is through half-hidden glances and soft spoken words, and there is a sense of the sweetness in waiting. There is an innocence in the film, an unquestioning acceptance of traditions and a sense of the sanctity of marriage that we have not been faced with since years now onscreen.

Dhoom 2 is aggressive, its brash, its about a generation that follows no rules but its own. Its about men and women who live life on the razor's edge, about a world where love is shouted from the rooftops, relationships are sometimes a minefield and self gratification is no sin. This silver screen is about a generation that takes its destiny in its own hands.

So which one is more "real"?

To me, both are accurate reflections of the current generation of Indians - two sides of the dichotomy we all live with. After all, aren't we all a mixture of Poonam and Sunehiri, of Prem and Aryan? Yes, we are urban and ambitious, we like fabulous, modern lifestyles, we love clubbing and partying, are no strangers to mini skirts and hard drinks, and prize our independance above everything else.

Yet, come wedding time and I bet you that most of us will go a sea change. We automatically discard our jeans-and-T-Shirt wardrobes and shopping for saris, lehangas and glass bangles with unrivalled happiness. We turn to our traditions, and to our elders, and actually enjoy following them (or most of them). There is the same excitement, the same innocence, the same hope for a good family, the same wish to keep your loved one happy. There is a new patience, a new willingness to adjust and accept.

And that's what I love about being an Indian. The fact that two such diametrically opposite streams can co-exist for me. Its a rare thing to have the best of various worlds - touch wood!!

Kabhi Alvidaa...

Finally, finally, finally managed to see Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna. Have been wanting to see this film forever, and thankfully, did not come away disappointed. Despite what various people told me, its a beautiful film. Yes, it may not be as powerful as Kal Ho Naa Ho, but its a far more real movie.

In how many houses across the world people are living together in limbo, the frustrations of one or both partners quitely destroying a marriage that once seemed perfect to start with. Yes, SRK is a footfall megastar, but he could just as easily have been a corporate executive whose career has slipped down the drain, or a businessman who has lost everything at a stroke. There are so many resonances here from real life.

What I loved most about this movie is that Karan does not try to be moralistic or justify the protagonist's actions. There are no explanations - things happen, our actions spin out of our control. Such is the story of KANK. And such is life.

The end of vacations :(

I seriously dont know what's worse - not going on vacation, or coming back from one to tackle a work desk that inevitable piled to tottering heights :(

Right now I am trying to prolong the escapist feeling just a bit more by immersing every non-working minute in my latest Bill Bryson find - I'm a Stranger Here Myself. One of the great pleasures of travelling to foreign shores is the chance of discovering an absolutely brand new book by a favourite author that's not yet been heard of in India. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is one book by Bryson that I still haven't read....any chance that there are any new Dan Browns' or Sophie Kinsellas' out there as well????

Another discovery that's always heartwarming - seeing a fully India-grown brand in positions of prominence abroad. Did you know that the very first shop that you encounter at the Concours of Petronas in Kuala Lumpur is our very own Himalaya skincare?? And that the brand is consistently placed at top positions by readers and editors alike for various beauty awards??

PS: While we are on the subject, do you know that the famed Petronas towers themselves are owned by an Indian??

One more stunning revelation - there is actually one city in this whole wide world where you can go for a full 48 hours without seeing a single image of Aishwarya Rai?? Disbelievers may please visit Genting, an hour out of Kuala Lumpur!! Its not that I have anything against Aish, but just that wherever I go - from New York to Dubai - she is sure to be gazing out of a hoarding or shop window within an hour of my arrival, so her absence was almost surreal. In fact, I made a little bet with myself that I would see her within 4 hours of arrival in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and London. The results - within 15 minutes at Kuala Lumpur, 8 minutes in Singapore and at the airport itself in London :)

Vacation Time :)

Why is it that time away from home, work and the city that you know like the back of your hand always gives you a fresh perspective on your life???? Three days away from Mumbai, and I had managed to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with my life (or at least, most of it) and how to set it right. Or, more to the point, it helped me refocus on what I want out of life right now, and chart a path along the correct course. There are some major changes in the offing, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out the way I envision it!!

Vacation-time is almost over, and I just dont feel like going home :(

Finally back home :) :)

Hospital woes :(

Been stuck in hospital for a while now (its my stupid foot again - had to get it operated), and trust me, its no fun :( Even the sympathies and flowers (and chocolates) dont help...I just want to go home now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We've had enough!!

Yesterday, for the first time in a decade, I turned back from a movie hall in Bombay, scared to go in because who knows where the next round of terror would strike? Its a strange feeling, one that hangs over most of the city - one knows that life must go on, and you cant continue living in fear; yet, 11/7 has brought home the vulnerabilities of simply going about your daily living.

And this is a feeling that Bombay-ites are unused to. Because, despite our share of daily crime, its by and large one of the safest cities in the country. Its a city where women drive alone at 4 in the morning, where you can happily wander around Colaba Causeway wearing navel-baring T-s, see-through kurtis or micro-mini shorts, where chatting to a stranger in a restaurant is not a sure percussor to molestation.

Its surreal seeing Bombay as a city where endless police barricades with stern-faced cops scrutinising the streets. We are not used to regarding our fellow travellers with suspicion or thinking twice before we step out of our homes or offices.

Yesterday evening, the train services were once again stopped because they suspected a bomb somewhere near Vile Parle. The city was in the throes of panic once again, everyone frantically phoning everyone else, hoping for the best, yet prepared for the worse. Work stopped, those who could rush back home did so with utter haste. Some, like me, quickly abandoned plans of late night movies or a spot of Saturday shopping. Is this how we are going to live from now on?

First the floods, then the Shiv Sena riots and now the blasts...how much more can a city take in just one week? There is an eerie calm, a subdued hush lying over Bombay, even as its people try to go about their daily lives. Because, after all, how long can you sit at home? Ultimately, you need to get back on the same train, travel the same route, shop in the same markets and watch movies in the same cinema halls. Some call it the spirit of Bombay - Bombay-ites just call it being practical.

Media Musings on the Blasts

Despite being a part of this industry myself, I am being perpetually amazed about how banal and nonsensical the media can get at times. Case in point - the Bombay bomb blasts. The biggest headlines? Various versions of 'terrorist involvement definite in the bombings'. Wonderful! I am glad to know that it was terrorists and not our own defense services, or non-terrorist civillians taking it up as a new hobby. Of course it was terrorists - do we need to be told that?

Another one that never fails to amaze me - reporters standing in front of the wreckage, and telling us that the carriage is totally wrecked, windows are broken, seats are torn apart...c'mon, there was a bomb blast and the carriage was torn apart, so of course the windows broke. We can even see it with our own eyes. It would be newsworthy if the windows did not shatter, because then we would all want to know what kind of glass they used!! Tell us what we dont know - where was the bomb placed, what was the explosive material etc. etc. etc.

D...uh!!!!

Serial blasts rock Bombay once again

This is flashback week for Bombay - flashback to last year's floods, flashback to the serial bomb blasts...but I have great faith in this city's spirit, in its resilience. There is no other city that can bounce back so quickly from disaster. Its an understanding that life goes on, and you just learn to cope with the bends along the way.

Bombay Emergency Numbers

Flood Infoline -22040800,22040804
Secretary R&R (BMC) - 1070
Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) - 1077
MCGM (BMC) Control Room - 108

The only thing that halts the unstoppable city...

In recent years, Bombay has faced two ghastly acts of terrorism - the serial bombings on March 12, 1993 and August 26, 2003. In both cases the city was back on its feet within hours, offices remained open and life went on as normal.

However, come the rain and the city has started shutting down. Schools (and even some colleegs) have given students the day off and offices reported a 30-50% drop in attendance. Those who did venture out, left early - many offices formally told their employees to leave after 4. And yes, there is even a definite drop in partying - a sure-shot barometer of the city's spirit!!

Rude vs. Least Polite

As usual, some of the best words on the debate around the world's rudest cities come from Rahul Bose.

Bring back the books!!

When BMC chased away the footpath bookshops from Fountain and Churchgate, they had set up shop near Kala Ghoda. Now they have been forced to vacate that spot as well. And there is no sign of a relocation. Which is sad not only because my literary indulgence now puts a huge dent in my wallet, but also because these tiny shops are an essential part of Bombay's culture and ambience. Its a little like banning pavement cafes in Rome, street corner artists and hot dog stands in New York, or Sunday markets in London :(

Mumbai starts to flood once again

Yup, its happening again. Despite the fact that it pours in Bombay every monsoon (d..uh, its a coastal city, its been raining here for centuries now!!) and people are still not over last year's floods, there continues to be little preparation to avoid disaster. Just a couple of day's heavy rain and the city is sliding underwater once again. Flights are delayed, trains are slowing down and the highway is shutting. The reason? More than the rains, its poor disaster management, poor drainage and very, very poor road quality. Here, the roads literally melt during monsoons, with more craters than surface remaining after 24 hours. The city faced, and barely survived, a disaster that made international headlines just last year... how can we have forgotten the lessons so soon??

Its monsoon time :)

I know, I know....dont remind me of my earlier post saying that I have developed a new appreciation of Bombay in summer time. Fact is that nothing beats being in this city during monsoons :) I have always loved the rains, and what can be better than sitting at my window, looking out over the sheets of rain (and if I am lucky, some lightning!!) falling into the open seas. Have you ever actually seen the rain coming at you, seconds before you are hit with its fury?? If you are over an open space, unhindered by buildings, you can literally see it approaching, falling over the edge of its cloud. Here's a glimpse:

I quit...

Times change, things change, lives change....its now time to move on. I am quitting India Today's Lifestyle Division (Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, India Today Travel Plus and Design Today) to join Marie Claire, which is being brought to India by Outlook. The mag launches in June, so there are some wonderful fun and chaos-filled days ahead. For people who are not in the media industry, its impossible to imagine the phenomenal high one gets from being part of a successful launch. And even if I say so myself, Marie Claire is going to be a blazing success :) Its got the backing of Outlook - which is one of the most respected media companies in India; and Shefalee Vasudev as Editor - again one of the most capable and talented media professionals in the country today. Watch this space for more news of the launch!!