Feluda 1 vs Feluda 2

The first phase of hoardings of Tintoretor Jishu, the latest Feluda flick announces 'Tintoretor Jishu is just coming'. And that takes me to the topic of this post. Yes, this has been an oft-debated subject. Which Feluda is better, Soumitra- the Ray's Feluda or Sabyasachi- the Ray Junior's Feluda of today. But I have restricted my thoughts to the physicality of the character.

Every Feluda fan worth his/ her salt knows his (Feluda's) physical attributes without what he can't be visualized. He is tall (6 feet plus) and well-built (Thanks to freehand exercises and yoga at home). I don't remember whether Ray ever wrote it expressly but Feluda is handsome without an iota of doubt (no wonder he has many a female admirer to his credit), and most importantly he is in his thirties. He never grew old after mid-thirties, something that was expected of such an iconic detective in Bengali literature.

I somehow came in terms with Sabyasachi in Bombaiyer Bombete, his first feature film as Feluda directed by Sandip Ray (Ray Jr). Things like the way he was rehearsing martial arts with Rajesh Sharma (playing Victor Perumal) or his style of shooting Rajatava hanging from the train (very un-Feluda-like expression) didn't go well with me......but still thought well, he is sort of okay.....if he is not then who.....there can't be anymore Feluda on screen then for this generation.

But Sabyasachi's appearance really shocked me in Kailase Kelenkari released last December. How could he even think of allowing himself to look like that? He was looking reasonably older than what Feluda can be accepted to look as and worse still....unfit!! A little pot belly showed on him and he was extremely ill at ease in the chase scene in the climax. In fact he looked downright funny in the dark profile shot in that scene. It was clear that he had been taking himself for granted as Feluda.

Though Sabyasachi is not in the best age to play Feluda, a dedicated regimen of working out under supervision and a right diet would have given him at least an acceptable physique and a younger look, with, importantly, the right postures for the character to take care of the physicality. Sadly, he is too lazy to do anything like that.

As for Ray Jr, he never got his Feluda right. Right from his first outing with Feluda-'Kissa Kathmandu Ka', the TV series on Doordarshan in the eighties antagonised the Feluda fans as it had the chubby and old Shashi Kapoor as Feluda. Hence Sabyasachi as he is now shouldn't be much of a problem for him. Also he has already defended himself by saying " aar keu nei" (There is none else (to play Feluda)).

Compared to Sabyasachi, Soumitra as Feluda, especially in Sonar Kella, was just perfect, physically and cerebrally. Well, he was Ray's Feluda after all. And Soumitra never took his look for granted. In his heyday he would work out regularly to maintain one of the best physiques in the history of Bengali cinema. Ray wouldn't have thought of someone like Sabyasachi in his nightmare even if Sabyasachi was from his times and Soumitra was not around. To understand this point the best, look at the photos again where Soumitra (in black & white) is from Sonar Kella and Sabyasachi is from Tintoretor Jishu shoot this year.

A dash of improvisation

The food stall at the Triangular Park bus stop (at the footpath at the park side), located close to Bake Club doesn't demand a second glance except for a few differences with its peers like that it serves the curries in white glass bowl and has chicken curry on the menu.

But its USP is more than what meets the eye. While it serves the regular lunch menu- roti, alur dum, ghughni, tarka, egg tarka apart from chicken curry, it has improvised on some of these items to have come up with egg alur dum (omlette mixed with alur dum, egg tarka style) and egg ghughni. These items are available at a little premium ( a regular half tarka (half a bowl in quantity)/ alur dum costs Rs 5 while their egg varieties cost Rs 9 each). It also serves chicken tarka: tarka with large chicken pieces.

The price is competitive but. The tarka comes at Rs 10 and chicken curry (with two large pieces) at Rs 20.

A man in his fifties, in half-sleeve shirt and barmudas, ever busy at the lunch hour, heats the already cooked ghughni/ tarka/ alur dum and adds freshly diced tomato, onion, ginger, chili and coriander leaves for taste. The roti comes from a different location carried by a boy in a few dozens in regular interval. The steaming food is served to the hungry customers predominated by executives waiting on the benches laid on the footpath. He more or less remembers the tastes & preferences of regular customers (Eg. someone does not want tomato and chili in his ghughni/ tarka). At times when he doesn't exactly remember the ingredients not preferred, he asks "Apnar jeno ki hobena?" (What all do you not want in your food, Sir?). His only colleague of similar age, in shirt and lungi, quickly beats the rotis between the palms to get rid of the wee bit of loose atta and serves the food on steel saucer with cut onion and green chili. The rotis just fly off the container.

Rituparno and Mir

The encouraging no. of responses on the 'Ghosh & Co.' post a little earlier (helped by my Rituparno Ghosh community on Orkut) got me do two things (apart from writing a comment to the 'Ghosh & Co.' post in the first place purely on assumption): a. Watch the repeat telecast of the Mir episode on Sunday 23 November at 5 pm (original telecast on 16 November) and b. Write this post.

Well, it seems the picture above was taken after the now-controversial episode was shot. At least Mir's apparently 'rehearsed' smile says that. And Ritu's smile is a happy winner's, after (verbally) bashing Mir to pulp just before. Just kidding!

The moot point is about the last 21 minutes of the show when Ritu's take on Mir's mimicry reached an uneasy point both for Mir, his admirers and others watching the show on telly. The core of it was Ritu's characteristically yet unusually strong argument to critique Mir's mimicry of effeminate people like Ritu (yes, officially, coming from Rituparno). The point Ritu drove home over and over again was that he was unaffected by Mir's take on him, due to his stature, a greater popularity and recognition than Mir and confidence. But the same may have really hurt many other effeminate people who might pretty well feel Mir was mocking them as well by taking Ritu as a subject.

Mir was so taken aback, as visible in the uncharacteristic surrender, that he shot an open letter in protest of his 'insult' in the show. The letter was reportedly carried in The Times of India the day after the show.

I personally felt that Ritu went a little off the hook probably for the first time ever in his talk shows as the matter was too close to his heart for comfort. Maybe the matter could be handled in a better way had he been able to be a little more objective.

On the other hand, this experience, insulting for Mir indeed as it happened before the audience of an already popular show, might nevertheless set Mir thinking when his anger settles down, and ask himself: doesn't he overstep (he did admit in the show that he does it 'sometimes') in general in mimicking people like Rituparno and Bappi Lahiri by the frequency of the act on his morning show on Radio Mirchi and other television shows he hosts/ has hosted and by the kind of other platforms he chooses (he routinely does it in the award functions he hosts)? I remember once during the last World Cup football he mimicked Bappi Lahiri by comparing his size with a football. Is that in good taste, Mir, or in good spirit, as you claim it to be? Can you ever interview Bappi Lahiri with a clear conscience?

The talk can't end here. There can be many takes. Come...pour your heart over this matter that can really create a storm in the tea cup- a Bengali favourite.

10:10

Arin Pal, the founder-member of Bangla Telefilm Club, is a busy man these days. Having started his first feature film as a director (after being the Chief Assistant Director in No Poblem, mentioned long back on this blog) middle of this year, he's already neck-deep into post-production of his next 10:10 (in Bengali, pictures above), a wacky comic thriller, which is releasing first, on 28 November. The movie made news big time as German supermodel Claudia Ciesla came to Kolkata a few months back to shoot for the film, keeping the city media busy for a few days.

Here's Arin in a freewheeling chit chat with Kolkata Curry.

Kolkata Curry (KC): So 10:10 is an officially 'different' film as "It is not a lift from a south Indian film...." as the website (www.1010-thefilm.com) says it?

Arin: Ha ha ha... True... Its different...


KC: Your first film 'Sabdhan Pancha Aschhe' (Yet unfinished) was also a comedy like 10:10. Do you have a flair for comedies or they are just happening?

Arin: They are just happening... Though its fun making comedies...


KC: What kind of a comedy is 10:10?

Arin: You can call it a non-sense comedy or a sattire even...


KC: How much is today's Kolkata integral to the story?

Arin: Very much... 10:10's story is very contemporary and socially relevant. But, its potrayed in a different way.


KC: You have an ensemble cast that includes a German supermodel (Claudia Ciesla). How did the casting happen, especially of Claudia?

Arin: The character was of an international journalist and it so happened that my producers knew about Claudia as she had done a film named Karma: Crime, Passion & Re-incanation in India. They suggested her to me. I got in touch with her. Sent her the story and script and she agreed after going through.


KC: Despite the fact that it isn't actually a small or even a medium-budget film, you haven't taken any star in lead cast. Didn't you feel the need for a star on board to pull the audience as it is your debut film?

Arin: No... Not at all... I think its the story and the script which is important... Stars give you an extra punch... But, I'm happy with all I worked...


KC: What would you like to say about the music? How exactly did you want it to be? Is music integral to the film?

Arin: Music... Drono has done a very good job... It's the way I wanted it to be... Yes, its an integral part...


KC: Is the item song blending well with the story?

Arin: May be... May be not... U see and decide...


KC: Bengali filmmakers haven't still woken up to the idea of making a website for promoting a film. How do you think the website will help the film? I must say it is pretty cool and the creative is pretty refreshing.

Arin: Thanks... Making a website helps the film reach out more to its audience... Also it hepls in marketing, publicity and PR...


KC: Lastly, best wishes from Kolkata Curry for 10:10 and tell us a few words about your next film (Mixed Mosla).

Arin: Thanks...... Planning in Jan'09... Produced by Morpheus Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. Its another comedy coming up. Trust me... a mind-blowing script it has by Padmanabha Dasgupta. The story is mine. Keeping fingers crossed. CHEERS!!!

She......in a saree

Something common to Bengali women's talk is how a girl is looking in a saree. The girl in question is generally not seen in a saree. The range covers the next door girl to a corporate lady to a model/ film actress.

I remember a female friend commenting on Karishma after watching her in the 'Puchho jara puchho' song in Raja Hindustani: " She can dance well in a saree". So she had an edge over her peers, you see.

Priyanka Chopra in a saree in the 'Desi girl' song in her latest release (picture above) 'Dostana' looks, well....., R-A-V-I-S-H-I-N-G. Hope many of you agree. And she surely passes the Bengali test of looking good in a saree with distinction.

A delegate dinner with a difference

The 14th Kolkata Film Festival is on its last day today. As usual it has seen a couple of delegate dinners thrown in by distinguished businessmen of the city to acquire the prestige of the distinction of making it to the host list cleared by the festival authority.

The dinner hosted by Arijit Dutta of Priya Entertainments (best known as the owner of Priya Cinema, the iconic film theatre of South Kolkata) on 12 November was with some difference. For one, it was hosted not in a five star hotel, but in Priya Cinema itself, in its specious lobbies. He is too proud of Priya to host it anywhere else it seems. And then, the menu did make a noteworthy difference.

Everybody was welcomed at the gate by a warm 'Namaskar' by the Priya Entertainments team, sometimes joined by the Chairperson Purnima Dutta. The second floor, where the balcony is located, was converted to a bar-cum-dance floor with a DJ in action. A lavish Bengali spread was laid on the first floor (where the stalls are located). The menu, served by Ayojon Caterers of Bhowanipore, goes like this- Luchi (from a live counter), begun bhaja, chholar dal, alur dum, dhokar dalna, chhanar kalia, plain rice, bhetki paturi, baked chicken, kasha mangsho, chhanar payesh and hot pantua. Everybody was spoilt for choice, including the pleasantly surprised foreign delegates. The presence of media and trade was thick besides celebrities like Nandita Das (flanked by painter father Jatin Das), Jeet and directors Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury and Subrata Sen.

Ghosh & Co.

Rituparno is back after years of his immensely popular candid chat show on Bengali television- Ebong Rituparno on ETV Bangla. This time on the new Bengali entertainment channel Star Jalsha in the avatar of wittily named 'Ghosh & Co' at 9 pm every Sunday.

The diference this time is firstly in the setting. Ritu loves a relaxed, 'Bengali adda-type' ambience set in a cosy drawing room with coffee and snacks for his chat show. This time to make it look more real, the title video shows him spending time with himself, preparing for the 'adda' and then receiving his guest(s) for the day at the door. During the conversation (he doesn't call them interviews, and the way they are structured, they are actually not so) tea/ coffee and snacks are served to the guests by domestic help, all recreated in a studio.

The other distinct difference is in his choice of guests. This time the guests are varied, not all of them exectly known for speaking well, and for some of them one really wonders what on earth made Ritu call them for the show. These guests include Bappi Lahiri (with below par oratory skill in any of the three languagues he generally speaks in- Bengali (his mother tongue), English and Hindi), Reshmi Ghosh and Sayantani Ghosh. Bappi loves to punctuate his talk with his songs, and in the one-hour show he must have sung few lines of about a dozen of his hit songs. However the selection of most of the guests does contribute to the show. The list includes Aparna Sen-Kalyan Roy (Aparna looking more gorgeous in her new short haircut), Shobha De-Dilip De, Mousumi Chatterjee and Babul Supriyo of those featured so far and Pritam (music composer in Hindi cinema), Nachiketa, Shreya Ghoshal and Mir among those coming up.

As ususal sitting through Ritu's chat show is a rich experience. He has awesome conversation skill. The way he makes his guests feel absolutely relaxed in order to get candid in the talk is worth special mention. Ritu's guests open up themselves, speak their mind, thanks to Ritu's inimitable style.

Looking forward to a long run of Ghosh & Co.

Ananda spreads wings

When reading and buying Bengali books is no more perceived a popular practice among Bengalis these days, and opening a bookstore selling story books doesn't sound like a sound business idea, a leading publishing house is gradually expanding its chain of retail outlets in the city and districts.

Ananda Publishers, not only the leading Bengali publishing house in Bengal, but also a thought leader for decades in publishing, is taking careful steps as it is expanding its chain. The sixth outlet in the chain (after three in Kolkata and one each in Siliguri and Santiniketan) was opened at Chandannagar, strategically placed at the crossing of Station Road and Bagbazar last week, on the eve of Jagatdhatri Puja, the biggest religious festival of the suburban town. Inaugurated by noted author Shankar, this 125 sq. ft. store stocks all the 2400 Ananda titles.

I, like many of my age have grown up on Ananda Publishers books that I've bought and borrowed from friends. Among many trends they set in the publishing industry are a) how raising the bar in production value of a book can add to its reading experience and thus can impact sales in a significant way and b) the art of a blurb on a book cover in letting the reader have a quick peek into the subject.

Ananda has always taken the marketing of books with a degree of seriousness unmatched by its peers. Wish its retail journey all the very best.

A different Puja

Big FM, Kolkata's second largest radio station, brought some difference to the paradigm of organising Puja this year. Beside stationing their activities to potential and popular Puja pandals, they actually brought the 'Puja' to places where the nearest Puja is not so near.

A van with a float of goddess Durga and complete with all her sons Laxmi-Ganesh-Kartik-Saraswati, aptly named 'Dugga Gari', came to one day on each of all four days of Puja to a few localities who were game for such an experiment. Behala Parnasree had this incredible experience on Sasthi, Beliaghata Future of Bengal on Saptami, Sukanta Nagar Youth Centre for Culture & Sports on Ashtami and a Garia locality on Nabami & Dashami. The puja was done following the rituals and people offered 'Anjali'. The evenings were made colourful by Big FM RJs and crew who played games and did some fun interaction, apart from performance by Samayan, who won the talent hunt 'Sing with Sonu' last June to perform with Sonu Nigam in his concert in the city that followed soon.

The float was customarily immersed on Dashami and the crowed (including a healthy participation of girls and women) cheered and danced all the way to the ghat. This is proof how they connected with this Puja with a difference.

Overall, an experience to cherish a lifetime and something to say to 'Aaschhe bochhor abar hobe' (to come back next year).

The humble amla reinvented

Amla was always available in dried, salted and spiced form among vendors in local trains from Kolkata. One of the leading brands was Vivekananda Ayurvedic Home. Quite a few years ago it started being available with the vendors raw, thinly sliced, in tiny poly pouches. They were avialble at a new, throwaway price point- just Re 1. Many people knew the health benefits of eating amla raw but never got themselves to buy and slice it. They got a readymade solution and lapped it up.

Then someone thought of 'product differentiation' seriously and came up with a preparation of sliced raw amla mixed with coriandar chutney, available at no premium- just Re 1 (In local train vending charging a premium is difficult. The competition is in giving consumers more value at the same price). The taste improved vastly and it sold very well. It possibly created a new market because so many passengers avoided raw amla as the taste did not suit them and went for the traditional dry amla. It inspired a trend among fellow vendors very soon as they followed suit.

Amla since then has come across another avatar- raw and spiced.

Just today as I was at Bidhannagar station to board a local train to Barrackpore to visit my parents, I came across another new avatar with a vendor- raw amla mixed with coriandar and ginger. Yes, at the same price. The taste was a little different from the coriandar avatar.

While all this is very good as the health benefits remain intact or increases with additions like coriandar/ ginger, it definitely is the passenger's gain, health-wise. Hence the experimentation is welcome.

A beauty

Watching Gargi Roy Chowdhuri judging 'I Laugh You'- a comedy talent hunt among actors competing in pairs on Star Jalsa makes me heave a sigh. Such an intelligent beauty is still being ignored by small screen. Her last appearance, I belive was years back in Abhijit Guha-Sudeshna Roy's 'Shudhu Tumi' opposite Prasenjit and besides Koel. It was a sensible attempt at mainstream Bengali cinema but couldn't pass the box office test.

A value-for-money fry joint

On any evening opposite the footpath of Triangular Park bus stop, next to City Style (facing Rashbehari) one can't ignore the aroma. The crowd, covering collegegoers to young executives to the middle-aged, is seen wolfing down the hot delicacies and packing for home.

Fry Corner, the small joint serving fish fry, chicken cutlet (fried chicken), fish pakora, chicken pakora, fish roll, fish chop among others has a strong following among locals and outsiders equally. The prices are easy on pocket and the taste makes you asking for more. A fish fry comes at Rs 15 and a chicken cutlet at Rs 20. If the mention of prices makes one wink thinking quality please be informed that the fish fry comes with a generous filling of fish (and it is representative of all the items) covered by a crunchy, yummy crust. The mustard that is served with the stuff is really strong and add to the gastronomic experience. For the vegetarians it has recently started paneer cutlet (again a generous size just at Rs 10). A must try for every foodie.

The 'Chirodini...Tumi Je Amaar' phenomenon

When this poster was released, it indeed generated some curiosity. It was indeed a different-looking, smart Bengali film poster by mainstream standards and the focus being on the young pair, the heroine clearly in her teens.

But nobody had an inkling of what a first-time director from television (Raj Chakraborty, of 'Mirakkel' fame and some telefilms behind him) and a debutant pair (Rahul aka Arunodoy and Priyanka), again from television (They played siblings in a Rabi Ojha serial!!), can do. The publicity campaign didn't have big hoardings (at least in Kolkata) typical of a Venkatesh Films production. The city was splashed with posters with the above creative and maybe one more. The clever PR campaign focused on the fact that the story was inspired by the real life tragic love story of Rizwanur Rehman-Priyanka Todi that kept media busy a year back. All this did the trick. The movie opened unexpectedly big on 15 August 2008 and....is still going strong on in its first run to have become the first blockbuster of this year. Let me share with you what I liked in the movie extracted from my mail that was carried in t2, the daily tabloid with The Telegraph.

1. The refreshing publicity design by Gautam Barat...
2. The lead cast are two fresh faces who looked the characters.
3. The music by Jeet Ganguly. It rocks and that is quite unfamiliar of Bengali playback music. It has been lapped up by the youth.
4. The strong performance of Rahul. He's made the best of his big break. He definitely doesn't look like a conventional hero, but was cast due to suitability and acting skill.
5. Raj's treatment (which was quite realistic on mainstream standards) to a familiar storyline and the twist at the end that shook many. It requires guts to end a love story like that. Raj has mixed the masala really well to come up with a quality mainstream product.
6. The youth connect. The movie has worked big time, for a change, for the youth- both rural and urban. I've seen a long queue majorly made by young people at Mitra cinema on Dashami, which was its 8th week.
7. The performances by an all-television supporting cast. It only drives home what television actors, often overlooked in Tollygunge, can bring to the table.
8. The cinematography by PB Chaki. I've said it before also, we have enough top quality technicians in Tollygunge not to look elsewhere (Read South).
9. Last but not the least- a much realistic (eg. the toilet graphiti) and entertaining depiction of a bachelor's mess powered by some top-notch performances.

The movie that looks like having been made with a budget well below Rs 1 crore is making several crores at box office as the producer is laughing all the way to the bank.

Kudos to Raj Chakraborty, for finally thinking different with a strong script and execution in Bengali mainstream and Venkatesh Films for believing in Raj. We the Bengali film audience now has a director in mainstream who can make better mainstream cinema, appeal to the youth and smash the rural-urban divide.

Raj is already into his next called Challenge with Dev (with two hits in the last two years behind him at the beginning of his career) and Subhashree (the girl who broke into the big league with Haranath Chakraborty's successful 'Bazimaat' earlier this year after winning the talent hunt for a heroine by top Bengali film mag Anandalok). It will be a sleek action-meets-romance movie shot by Somak Mukhopadhyay, the cinematographer of Subhash Ghai's last film 'Black & White' and produced by Venkatesh Films.

Seemingly inspired by the Chirodini... Venkatesh has also started Jackpot by Kaushik Ganguly, an on-the-road refreshing love story with Rahul-Sohini (back after her impressive 'Bow Barracks Forever' act) and Hiran-Koel. Looks like Bengali mainstream is on its way to maturity........finally, powered by new-age directors.

RJs

While I find most RJs at private radio stations not playing their natural self, some being plain awful, including the best in the business- Mir of Radio Mirchi, there is one refreshingly different- Riddhi of Big FM. He's absolutely natural on air (and off it too, having encountered him in events) and connects well with his audience. No wonder his show 'Masti Ki Pathsala' is quite popular.

In events I've seen him do fillers between items where he mimics his office colleagues (not fellow RJs), sometimes they being present/ called on-stage, while the audience is in splits. A quality entertianer indeed.

Great to be back!!

Dear readers
I stopped blogging for a couple of reasons about a year back. It coincided with my switching job and that was one of the reasons.

Like some readers who were missing new posts on KC, I did it too, very very much. After all, it is my baby. But I thought like every good thing has a shelf life, so has KC.

But it kept coming back to my mind. And I was feeling the urge to blog again very recently.

So KC is going alive again. I must say I'm overwhelmed to see the enormous no. of readers KC has received over the last one year without a single new post. Now I know better than ever how much KC matters among lakhs of blogs worldwide.

Just one thing. KC now onwards, thanks to my present life, will be informal. There will be more small posts, may be more photographs (because photos say a lot), more humour (incl. 'tongue-in-cheek', my favourite genre), less talk on politics, much more on entertainment, especially cinema (where I am now, careerwise). It won't aim to be as informative as it was. One thing for sure- it will always seek to connect with its readers.

Happy reading.

Cheers
Anirban Halder
anirban48@gmail.com

BTC's sixth screening

Bangla Telefilm Club's sixth screening on October 14 at Rotary sadan saw none other than Rituparno Ghosh gracing the audience. BTC's high-profile audience list is getting longer with every screening.

Parambrata's QSQT Police Er Duty, a road comedy, was screened. Read about it in earlier post Telefilm Festival written after I chceked it out at its premiere at the Tara TV Telefilm Festival not so long ago.

Others present included Parambrata and cast members Rajatava Dutta and Nitya Gangyly, Mumbai-based screenwriter and debutant director Soumik Sen (His debut, a wacky Bengali comedy called No Poblem, is awaiting release), tele actors Rajat Ganguly and Abir Chattrejee, telefilm directors Atanu Ghosh and Tathagata Banerjee, film critic Sunetra Ghatak and percussionist-musician Abhishek Basu.

New post on 'Shuttle'

Just made a new post with the title' Life in a shuttle 1'. It's on shuttle- one of the city's favourite alternative transport options. As I started drafting it on August 19, it has been posted under that date. Find it in Labels>August at the right.

New album

Take a look at the new Durga Puja Special Photo Album at the right. It captures Puja right from the first sign (The white flowers, called 'Kash phool' in Bengali) to the last ritual (Bisarjan).

Will try and keep adding pictures to this album to make it as representative of Puja as possible.

BTC's fifh screening

BTC is now familiar to seeing its screenings being received well. The 9 September afternoon also saw a three-fourth full Rotary Sadan, with some high-voltage celebrity sparks.

The hottest screen couple of present Bengali cinema, Jeet & Swastika Mukherjee, saw the film with the audience. Swastika was there as a cast member of the telefilm being screened and Jeet came as a guest.

Others included actors Mamata Shankar, Indrani Halder, Jagannath Guha, singer Srikanta Acharya and familiar television faces like Debleena Dutta, Shiladitya Patranobis, Abir Chatterjee and Dr Basudeb Mukherjee. Also spotted telefilm director duo Anindya Ghosh- Tahagatha Banerjee. Among the cast & crew of the telefilm, an usual feature of a BTC screening, were actors Kaushik Sen, Badshah Moitra, Swastika Mukherjee, Rajat Ganguly, director Atanu Ghosh and cameraman Sandeep Sen.

The telefilm Megh Brishti Rodh, is a tale of three people, a woman (Swastika) who comes to terms with her present life of happiness and fulfilment as her traumatised past revisits her, her schizophrenic music lover ex-husband (Kaushik) and her sensitive present husband (Badsha). It boasts of a fine screenplay, matching dialogues, fine performances by Kaushik Sen, Badsha Moitra and Swastika Mukherjee, and well-sung Rabindrasangeets by Prabuddha Raha and Kaushik Sen.

In the post-screening interaction, Mamata Shankar became emotional as she expressed how it felt watching such a fine piece of work. She strongly advised Atanu Ghosh to switch to making feature films rightaway, as she felt he had what it takes to make the cut. She especially praised the casting which was just right (I completely agreed silently and later told that to the director). Jeet felt telefilm directors should try some light-hearted work besides such intense drama.

As Atanu revealed from a cue from the audience, the story idea struck him on a tour to Vellore, where he spotted a man in a hospital being visited by his ex-wife and her present husband. There was no acrimony in their interaction. He just observed them, and later wrote the story.

A tea session was followed where audience interacted informally with the cast & crew. Kaushik signed autographs and posed for photos.

Pictures
1. The interactive session in progress. (From left to right) Kaushik Sen, Badsha Moitra, Swastika Mukherjee, Atanu Ghosh.
2. Swastika upped the glamour quotient of the event.
3. Kaushik Sen
4. The handsome Badsha Moitra.
5. (From left to right) Atanu Ghosh and Rajat Ganguly.
6. A thoroughly impressed Mamata Shankar in the interaction.
7. Indrani Halder in a conversation with Mamata Shankar.
8. Jeet and Swastika.

Two images

The first, a happy one, reminds us that Durga Puja is coming.
The second one, though another happy moment, signifies the end of Durga Puja.

Posted these two wonderful shots by Amitabha Gupta as Durga Puja countdown is on.

Durga Puja images 1

1. Golaghata puja pandal in 2006- made of shells.
2. Pathanpur puja pandal in 2006- made of jhuri and kulo (Both are Indian household items made of bamboo).

Anybody with a clue to the present state of Kolkata Puja is aware that the trend in Kolkata pujas (Here puja is each place of the ceremony, since the worship of goddess Durga is done in hundreds of places in the city) for the last few years is fabricating the pandal and the idol as per a theme (Eg. An ancient deity in a cave or an ancient Durga temple at some other part in India) and also making the pandal with some unique item (Eg. shell in one of the above pujas).

The city needs budget hotels

Just remembered to put down a recently felt need here- Kolkata badly needs budget hotels. Ginger, the Tata group budget-hotel chain should have debuted in the city, rather than in Durgapur.

A bunch of colleagues came over from Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi, and since all were first-timers to the city, I spent two nights sharing a room with one at Hotel Victerrace off Camac St. The less said about the service, the better. The room service was painfully slow. So much so that one of the colleagues got her breakfast served after more than half-an-hour and that led to everybody's getting late for the training programme they came over to attend to. Everything, from the state of wall paint to the cooling power of the AC to the bath towel to whatever, the experience for all of them and me was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Checked with the secretary at office, who did the booking, as to why a better hotel was not found. My guess proved right. While Kolkata has a good no. of luxury hotels (Hyatt Regency, ITC Sonar Bangla Sheraton, Taj Bengal, Oberoi Grand and The Park are some), it has a strong need for budget hotels. The companies who don't really want to cut corners with hotel costs have little choice for all their employees travelling to Kolkata, whose entitlements don't include five-star comfort.

A BTC invite

Above is the invite to Bangla Telefilm Club's fifth screening scheduled at 9 September, Sunday, 4.45 pm at Rotary Sadan. The telefilm is Megh Brishti Rodh by Atanu Ghosh, aired on Tara Muzik.

The show is only for members and guests. To become a member and watch a telefilm with its cast & crew (apart from other celebrities) and interact with them post show, call 9830274315 or 9831333720. Email: banglatelefilmclub@gmail.com. Website: www.banglatelefilmclub.org.

Early signs of Puja

The early signs of Puja (Durga Puja), Bengal's largest event of every year, are visible. Advertisements of special Puja numbers by local Bengali magazines, a special series on Star Ananda on the writers' views on what they've written in this year's Puja numbers, hoardings of Puja committes about this year's themes and seeking sponsorship, updates of Kumartuli, the hub of making idols for the Puja et al.

Found it a little difficult to stomach that the talented artists who make the fascinating idols make only 10-15% profit by selling their work in India, after months of toil and suffering due to weather playing spoilsport every now and then thereby making it unfairly challenging to deliver on time. They are more interested in selling to parties abroad who offer better prices.

The eminent Puja committes apparently earn huge through sponsorship and subscription, but are not ready to pay the idol artists who are behind the main attraction of visiting a Puja pandal- the idols. They take advantage of the poor artisans not being adept at negotiating and demanding a fair price of their work. They are apparently more open to pay the new-age Puja artists, having passed out of art college, who design and make the entire pandal besides the idol with their artistic expression that often challenge the tradition but win prizes for best idol, best pandal etc.

A funny notice

Came across a notice pasted at the cash deposit counter at the Baguiati branch of Axis Bank this morning.

It tells the customers of the bank that it (the bank) is committed to issue clean notes to its customers as per the new campaign by RBI to make more and more clean notes availeble with general public.

So far, so good, until I read the last line.

It said "...the Clean not policy of RBI..".

Not only the silly mistake, what indeed was hilarious was the irony created by the mistake.

A middle-class solution

In an age when multiplex is the fashionable place to catch up a movie and among single screen theatres choices are painfully few, and most of the middle-class households watch a new movie at home either on pirated VCD or on cable (which runs a pirated VCD only), there seems to be a revolution brewing. Moser Baer, a well-known homegrown co. of removable storage media (CDs, CD-RW, DVD etc), has silently forayed into home-video with their jaw-dropping pricing in this year. Their VCDs of Indian films come at Rs 28 and DVDs at Rs 34, and they are claiming high quality standards and top-class packaging.

What makes these 'impossible' prices happen? Well, as they are saying, their proprietorty patented technology that besides producing world-class production standard, brings down the cost significantly. And they are passing on the entire benefit to the consumers by charging rock-bottom prices.

While the rent of a VCD is Rs 10, it makes great sense to rather buy it out paying just Rs 28 and watch it and show it to friends and guests at home over and over again. Not only the original VCD will score over the rented pirated VCD, it will also free us from the guilt of committing a crime (Of supporting piracy). Now everybody can build his/ her movie collection at home without thinking of cost.

To back up the pricing strategy the company is getting aggressive on distribution front, eyeing stationery shops and other unconventional outlets apart from video/ music stores and supermarkets. They are starting their exclusive stores- owned and licensed- as well that will sell the entire Moser Baer product range. The first one in Kolkata is at OP House at Ultadanga crossing.

The USP of their library of titles is a strong presence of regional movies. The company recently launched 75 Bengali movie titles in a glittering event in the city. They included Swapno by Haranath Chakraborty and Aamra by Mainak Bhaumik which came on home video for the first time. Superstar Prosenjit did the honours (Picture above shows Prosenjit unveiling the collection. (Picture source)

Upmarket solutions in products and services is definitely lucrative. But when comes a middle-class solution like the Moser Baer range of VCDs and DVDS, the business potential is huge, simply because consumers are measured in millions. The perfect example is Reliance Mobile- what they've done to mobile telephony in what short a period, simply because they targeted the entire middle class! Little wonder, the ambitious Moser Baer plans to sell a popular title in millions of units and not in lacs which is the present reality.

For a thorough look at their collection and ordering online, visit their site Moserbaerhomevideo.com.

Life in a shuttle 1

It is one Kolkata's favourite alternative transports, mainly for those coming and going to the fringes, especially an officegoer's favourite on way home. It gives one the joy, comfort and utility of travelling in a taxi at just a fractional fare or a car without owning one. And it is an unofficial means of travel.

It is shuttle car/ taxi, popularly known as shuttle. In short, a taxi running full, not on meter but on a fixed charge per passenger or a private car doing the same. There are professional shuttle cars too, whose business is running shuttle service on 'fixed routes'.

It thrives especially in the routes not taken up by regular transport options. And it can be a blessing for those who would otherwise had to take a break journey.

The route to the airport from central Kolkata is a 'hot' shuttle route. Car drivers going to airport to pick up a client's person make some extra income by taking some passengers and dropping them at various places till its destination. The operating rate is Rs 15 from Beckbagan (AJC Bose Rd island between Minto Park and Kalamandir) to airport, but you may be lucky if you happen to catch an 'amateur' car going to airport, who might charge you just Rs 10. All because its just some extra money for him, so no need to be insistent on 'operating rate'.

One is luckier when the driver of a modern/ snazzy car, like an Indica or Qualis or Chevrolet going to airport calls for passengers.

Other hot shuttle points (other than Beckbagan) known to me is Karunamoyee of Salt Lake and Beleghata junction on EM Bypass.

Shuttle is an important part of working life of many living on the fringes of Kolkata. More about it follows.

Evolving with time

Single screen theatres in Kolkata are fighting for survival for years. Apart from threats like video piracy and satellite channels that make the viewers spoilt for choice, the newest threat is stiff competition from multiplex. The multiple-screen monsters have been gobbling up viewers of single-screeners ever since their debut. Among other smart business moves, the plexes have chosen areas where single screeners are not present.

But on the face of the competition a few standalone theatres have really evolved with time to take on the competition. Among them is Jaya located at Lake Town. It is a not a single-screener though. It did start with one screen in the 60s showing Uttam-Supriya starrer Jiban Mrityu and riding on the success added another screen at the adjacent plot post 70s. It helped that there was no other theatre in the close vicinity. It was just like anther single screener till some years back. But the way it has upgraded its facilities in recent years to become the neighbourhood multiplex is amazing.

Jaya now has Dolby DTS sound, airconditioning and most interestingly a plex-style box office. The staff at the glass-front box office are uniformed. Each one has a mike in front, books ticket electronically and prints it out. There is a monitor on each side showing current movies, show-timings, availability of seats and ticket prices. With the advantage of two halls it does multiplex-style smart movie programming showing as many as four films a day- a mix of Hindi and select Bengali films. Where it really counts is the surprisingly modest ticket prices- Mondays to Fridays it charges Rs 40 for stall and Rs 80 for dress circle, on Saturdays and Sundays DC goes up to Rs 100 and on Sunday stall becomes Rs 50, riding on the demand of weekend crowd. It calls itself a cineplex, and rightly so!

The locality has a large North Indian population whose outflow to the plexes have been effectively halted by Jaya's timely makeover. As one stands in front of the box office he finds the queue at par with any plex in look.

Hope Jaya keeps evolving. Wish it all the very best.

Bangla Telefilm Club's fourth screening

As scheduled BTC held its fourth screening on 12 August, Sunday. Max Mueller Bhawan witnessed more celebrities than ever in a BTC screening.

Among film and television directors were- Aparna Sen, Gautam Ghosh, Anjan Dutt, Malay Bhattacharya, Raja Dasgupta, Subroto Sen, Mainak Bhowmick (Of Aamra fame), Parambrata Chatterjee, Anindya Ghosh, Avijit Guha and Birsa Dasgupta.

Among actors were- Nitya Ganguly, Debleena Dutt, Aparajita Ghosh Das, Kanchan Mallik, Rudranil Ghosh, Moumita Gupta, Bidipta Chakraborty, Saswati Guha Thakurta and Chaitali Dasgupta.

The telefilm- Ekti Romharshak Dakatir Gappo (A Tara Muzik telefilm) a classy work by young Birsa Dasgupta (Also known as the son of filmmaker Raja Dasgupta).

Pictures

1. The gorgeous Aparna sen.

2. Aparna talking to the audience about Birsa.

3. Arin Paul, the brain behind BTC.

4. Birsa Dasgupta and Chaitali Dasgupta (Actor and renowned television personality).

Rabindrasangeet in a cool avatar

The Bong Connection has sparked discussions for its own take on Rabindrasangeet among other things. The film features a Rabindrasangeet- Pagla hawar badal dine- in a very unusual, tachno form. What is obvious is the song, just like the film, was designed to appeal to the youth who don't anymore find Rabindrasangeet 'cool'. As expected, many self-confessed Rabindrasangeet lovers have rubbished the new-age treatment.

What is not obvious was the young producer's ambition- Can't we find Rabindrasangeet playing at the discos? They play Punjabi songs frequently, why not Bengali songs including Randrasangeet?

Has the tall aim been reached? Apparently yes. As I just now sneaked into the Orkut community named after the film, Shaoni, a community member reveals that as she was in Tantra in the first week of August, the song was being played, with the crowd 'dancing and singing the song loud'.

Kudos to Neel (the music director) for giving a new life and dimension to our very own Rabindrasangeet and Joy (the producer) for materializing an ambition that will have many cheering to it!

Kolkata factoids 1

INOX, the multiplex chain that introduced Kolkata to multiplexes in September 2003, has a 50-60 % average occupancy rate in the city. This is the highest among the chain in the country, as Vikas Syal, the Regional General Manager has shared with The Telegraph's today's issue.

No wonder this. Kolkata has always surprised the organised retail industry with its retail outlets clocking the highest sales in the entire chain in the country, sometimes in the first year itself- be it Music World or Pantaloons or Westside. Its but natural that the same effect will be carried to organised film exhibition arena as well.

To salute this incredible response INOX is set to open a four-screener at City Centre 2 in New Town, Rajarhat, a five-screener at Diamond City North mall on Jessore Rd by 2008. The 89 Cinemas chain, which it took over, will open a four-screener (its second in the city) at Panditiya Rd in the same time frame.

Finally they did it!!

Yesterday was the one of the most memorable days in life of all the people in Bengal and other parts of India and the world for whom two colours matter most- dark green and maroon. Yes, I'm talking about all the fans and supporters of Mohun Bagan, one of the giants among football clubs in the city. It was a 'Big match' yesterday as Mohun Bagan clashed with their arch-rival East Bengal, the other giant.

It's incredible that no less than seven goals were scored in the rain-soaked game in the stipulated time, and Mohun Bagan emerged the winners at 4-3. Never in the past has Mohun Bagan scored as many goals against East Bengal, the highest being 3. Had it not been for a silly miss, MB would equal EB's record of 5 goals against MB in the black day for the latter- the '75 IFA Shield final. The four goals must have acted as a balm for Mohun Bagan supporters in living with that deep wound.

Kasha Mangsho goes national!

Read some weeks back in The Telegraph that a couple of enterprising Bengalis have teamed up to bring back the 'Golbari' brand of 'Kasha Mangsho', a hot favourite Bengali preparation, in a grand way and with wide reach. Last year as Golbari at Shyam Bazar junction faced an unceremonious closure, its bunch of loyals was aghast. To their united cheer, the famed dish, served with ghee-smeared rotis (Another Golbari special that looks like a cross between roti and paratha) will come back in the upcoming eatery Koshe Kasha..

Koshe Kasha is set to debut in Sandhya Tara, the rooftop food court at Star Theatre this 15th August. It will be followed by more in the city and a national rollout. And if that fares well, an international rollout is there in the ambitious plan.

I remembered the Telegraph report as I read a nice post about the chain in the Kolkata blog KolkataMusing yesterday. Visit it for further details.

Watch out this space for an update.

The 'Bong Connection' Wave

The Bong Connection seems to have made the desired connect with Bongs and non-Bongs (Incl. Bongs-at-heart) of the city. Everywhere young folks are talking of checking it out, and interestingly they include those who don't watch movies frequently. The movie has completed two weeks starting with a terrific opening at multiplexes. In the current week- the third- all plexes are running two shows incl. one at prime slot. And this is happening after taking on the mights of biggies like Harry Potter (released last week) and Partner starring Salman and Govinda (Released today).

The not-so-flattering reviews on news channels notwithstanding (Anandabazar Patrika, the leading Bengali daily of the city published a flattering review) it has evoked strong liking from the young, as evident on the film's community on Orkut, named after the title. One of the most noticeable messages is that they want to watch exactly this kind of new-age flick. The producer's scrapbook is full of congratulatory scraps.

Looks like Kolkata has finally got its new-age flick that it can watch over and over again and recommend to others. Anjan Dutta finally has a winner after the debut dud Bada Din. He can forget that painful wait before the release of Bong Connection now. As a double bonanza for him and his fans, his long-in-the-cans second film Bow Barracks Forever hits the screens later this month.

A celeb-studded affair

While I was looking for the way to the entrance of the building which was the venue of Bangla Telefilm Club's (BTC) third screening on Sunday 8 July, I saw celebrities pouring in thick- Rishi Kaushik (Looking dashing as on screen- small or big, in a body-fit black tee and jeans), Aparajita Ghosh Das, Barun Chanda (Whose claim to fame is the hero of Ray's Seemabaddha) and Rajatava Dutta.

Inside volunteering members were busing enrolling new members. A good number of patrons became members. A leaflet briefing BTC and its partners were being circulated. I spotted more from the television industry among those present and stepping in- director duo Sudeshna Roy-Abhijit Guha, director Tathagata Banerjee (The other half of this duo Anindya Ghosh came a little later), actor Nitya Ganguly and singer-actor Monali Thakur. Rana Basu Thakur, a senior marketing pro in Reliance Mobile, also known for his creative pursuits which includes Coolkatha.com was present too. He is also part of BTC's creative committee.In the brief introduction by the official spokesperson Tanmoy (Being a RJ on the move he merits the job almost by default) the new supporters of BTC- The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Eisenstein Cine Club (One of Kolkata's oldest film clubs) and OurDreamz Cine-Works and the new blog partner Kolkata Curry (In the age of media partners possibly for the first time someone went a step ahead and thought of a blog partner) were acknowledged and the creative committee of BTC was announced. The commitee boasts of well-known names like Kaushik Ganguly and Raja Sen, besides Anindo Bandopadhyay, Atanu Ghosh, Anindya Ghosh, and Rana Basu Thakur. Post a short film called Ek Din by Sudipta Banerjee, the screening of the day's telefilm, Daho, a comic thriller by Anindya Banerjee started. It was aired on Zee Bangla.

The telefilm was enjoyed by many, as evident by members with full-blown praise in the post-screening interactive session attended by director Anindo Bandopadhyay, cast members Rajatava, Nitya Ganguly, script-writer Anuja Chattopadhyay, assistant director Deboleena Dutta ( Better known as an actor) and cinematographer PB Chaki. Barun Chanda broke the ice by enquiring about the twist at the end of the tele. He encouraged Anindo to look for greener pasture in big screen as he believed the director was qualified for it. Anindo shared how the idea of the tele was born in an adda (Chat session) at a tea stall outside a studio. Rajatava spoke about his interpretation of the character played by him.

The visitors' book recorded many entries full of appreciation at the end. Looking forward to the fourth outing of BTC in a grander manner.

Pictures above: 1.Rajatava Dutta and PB Chaki, 2. Aparajita Ghosh Das and Rishi Kaushik, 3. From left- Anindya Banerjee and Anuja Chattopadhyay, and from right- Deboleena Dutta and PB Chaki in the interactive session, 4. Barun Chanda.

Bangla Telefilm Club's third screening

Bangla Telefilm Club (Popularly known as BTC) is going to hold its first major screening tomorrow at Bengal Creations, A Cultural Hub at 18A Park Street, Stephen Court, 3rd Floor, Kolkata 17 (The building which houses Peter Cat). A full house of 100-plus invitees are expected. The telefilm will be projected on screen, unlike the last two shows on video. The huge demand for seats in its screenings on and after the second screening on June 10 prompted Arin and other active BTC members to look for a spacious place for future screenings.

Meanwhile BTC has become a members-only club with nominal membership fees (Details in its website), which was a necessity due to funds required for the screenings and other establishment costs. So far it has more life members on board than those who opted for quarterly or annual memberships.

The telefilm that will be screened tomorrow is Daho by Anindo Bandopadhyay, aired on Zee Bangla. Have a look at an web album with its stills here.

Those who are keen to check out the third screening are welcome, subject to spot-registration as member at the venue before the show.

The Bong Connection

After keeping the curious Kolkatans on a long wait The Bong Connection is releasing nationally tomorrow. Touted as Kolkata's first crossover movie about Bengalis in contemporary global scenario, this Anjan Dutt-directed English film (Generously sprinkled with Bengali dialogues) is an ambitious venture of Kolkata-based Moxie Entertainments debuting with this movie as a producer.

The film has been shot in Kolkata, and Houston, US by a young crew (Except Anjan, who is in his fifties, with a young mind) last year. The music by Neel Dutt (Also known as the son of Anjan Dutt) will have new sounds, compared to films produced from Kolkata. The mix ranges from Baul and Rabindrasangeet (Treated to a trans-techno feel) to an English song. The four protagonists are Raima Sen, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Shayan Munshi and Peeya Roy Choudhury.

The film is being intensely promoted in the city since two weeks back through panel discussions, interactive sessions and jam sessions by father-son musical duo Anjan and Neel.

Above are some stills from the film (Courtesy Coolkatha).

EKK's first milestone

1. Name: Shibu Tudu.
Location: Ilampur village of Hooghly district.
Trivia: Mother died in cancer, father is suffering from paralysis.
Achievement: Ranked under SC/ST-87 in WBJEE (Engineering entrance) 2007.

2. Name: Subrata Burman.
Location: Roygunge, Uttar Dinajpur district.
Profession: Mason.
Achievement: WBJEE: Engineering: General-3512, SC-109. Medical: General-766, SC-30.

Shibu wanted to pursue engineering, Subrata aspired to be a doctor. None of them knew how. Poverty came between them and their aspirations.

And then Eso Kichhu Kori (Read about them in my earlier posts Eso Kichhu Kori, Eso Kichhu Kori: Time to pitch in and Two websites) identified them and pitched in with sponsorships under its project Sopan. And its great to tell you that Shibu has just been admitted in BESU Shibpur and Subrata in Calcutta Medical College.

Here's wishing Shibu and Subrata all the luck. For EKK it is just the beginning. Kudos to EKK!!!

Kolkata bods

As reported in today's T2, designer Jatin Kochhar doesn't see himself retailing his just-showcased bikini line from Kolkata. Simply because his observant eyes didn't meet with a single girl with a bikini body in this city.

Well, he is largely right. But he should have seen more of Kolkata streets, shopping malls and high-end eatery zones. There indeed are girls fitting the bill, as evident in the way they carry off trendy clothes demanding great shape. But indeed most of the young bunch are blissfully ignorant of something called 'shape' despite a yen for jeans (its all low-waist now) and short/ fitting tee. While many are downright fat or obese making an awful show in the said clothes others have bulges here and there marring the otherwise good look.

Possibly this city is too lazy and a great foodie to feel excited by trendy bikinis. T2 took the remark sportingly, but came out with a get-a-bikini-bod-in-two-months plan with advice from a fitness expert, a lifestyle coach, a beautician and a style coach. It remains to be seen how seriously Kolkatans respond to the story as will be evident in the next published T2 mailbox.

A dance show

Checked out the first celebrity dance show of competitive kind on Bengali television. Rituparna Sengupta-promoted Jhum Ta Ra Ra Ra debuted on ETV Bangla last Wednesday with a bunch of well-known young faces of Bengali tele. It is aired on every Wednesday and Thursday at 9.30 pm.

It is obviously inspired by Star One's big hit Nach Baliye which brought in a new genre of entertainment-based reality show on Indian television. The format has similarities. There are three judges- Tanushree Shankar, a danseuse, Prabhat Roy, a topline mainstream Bengali film director and actress-dancer Indrani Dutta, it has camera in the greenroom and a choreographer to work with every participant. But what is remarkable is the sheer attitude with which this show is attempted. Everybody surely knew that in production value and in terms of dancing talent the show will be far away from Nach Baliye. But the makers made good use of a limited budget and picked up the best available talent (Albeit some first choices either not available or refusing to take part in a competition). The Nitish Roy-designed set looks good.

I could not make it before the second episode. The participants are Debdut Ghosh, Soumili Biswas, Sagnik, Monami Ghosh, Deboleena Dutta and Sonali Choudhury. Soumili, Deboleena and Sonali are trained in classical dance (Deboleena teaches dance too). They attempted a mix of Hindi film numbers and Bengali modern song. Eye catchers were Deboleena's turn with Takhon tomar ekush bochhor bodh hoy fantasizing Uttam Kumar (Two boards of his photographs were kept on the stage) and Sagnik's Main hoon Don act. Monami looked glam in her costume modelled after the film (Taal) whose song Dil yeah bechain hai she swayed to.Tanushree couldn't help but let know that Sagnik looked attractive (Read hot) and would do well taking the overcoat off giving a hint of his well-built physique. Sagnik didn't blush but, as is common with a Bengali actor.

Sonali came in a ghaghra and a loose-fitting full choli. She hardly looks like a former model these days, with consistent weight-gain. But the costume didn't help. If she wasn't comfortable carrying off a ghaghr-choli she could've opted for a different number (She attempted a famous Jaya Prada number from Sargam).

Indrani was the toughest judge to please, as she didn't mince words. Prabhat Roy was the easiest with almost no negative comments. Tanushree struck the necessary balance. It was good to see Prabhat taking a note of the talent of local choreographers and promising to work only with them in his next project. He wondered why the directors (including him) always work with choreographers from Mumbai and Chennai where local talent can deliver so well.

Two websites

Eso Kichhu Kori, the Kokata-based NGO working towards supporting underprivileged meritorious students (Re: Earlier posts Eso Kichhu Kori: Time to pitch in and Eso Kichhu Kori), has its website up for checking out. It was there since its inception but has been worked on recently and lots of content has been added. Feedback of EKK community members on Orkut played a vital role in giving it the final shape. It has been executed by some of its members.

EKK was recently covered in this story by The Telegraph, which talked about the Orkut community that is its genesis. Its latest accomplishments were mentioned.

The indomitable Arin Paul, the founder of Bangla Telefilm club, which has recently switched to a members-only avatar thanks to its rapidly increasing patrons, has launched a temporary website for the club. According to unconfirmed sources it is the only telefilm club in the country.

Here's wishing both EKK and BTC websites a great journey ahead. May they connect to many, many like-minded people through their virtual entities.

Finally the rains....and how

The earnestly prayed for rains finally made a backdoor entry to Kolkata. Started last evening precisely, the overnight showers ensured several vulnerable and not-so-vulnerable pockets get waterlogged. This included regulars like Bangur, Ultadanga, Camac Street, Minto Park and not-so-regulars like the stretch from Park Circus junction to Bridge no. 4.

Rickshawwalas had a field day escorting people from badly affected areas, charging a premium. With fewer buses plying, officegoers were the troubled lot. I didn't get a Whiteliner from Baguiati, so had to drop at Beleghata to catch a second bus or a shuttle car to my Beckbagan office. The wait was painfully long but, as most of the shuttle cars were heading to Park Circus and my bus (The SBSTC white mini) was elusive. Finally got lucky with a shuttle car (Was really lucky as it was a Chevrolet) but it stopped at least 10 times before Park Circus, so terrible were the traffic jams triggered by waterlogging.

The silver lining was the respite from the sweltering heat with the infamous killing humidity of Kolkata, with RH (Relative humidity) reading often going northwards from 90%.

The exciting release roster

The release roster for Kolkata films this month and the next looks exciting. Jara Brishtite Bhijechhilo by Anjan Das releases June 8. The Bong Connection by Anjan Dutt releases June 22. And Anuranan by debutant Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, a Mumbai-based ad filmmaker, releases July 6 (Check its wonderful website following the link).

Jara Brishtite Bhijechhilo is Anjan's second adaptaion of Joy Goswami's work after the critically acclaimed, lyrical Saanjhbatir Rupkathara. Unlike the first, Jara... is a novel in verse, hence challenging for a filmmaker to adapt on screen. But it looks safe in the able hands of Anjan. It has a cast of Saumitra Chattopadhyay, Roopa Ganguly, Indrani Halder, Joy Sengupta from Mumbai (as Arani Sen, the protagonist, created in the mould of Joy Goswami himself as in the novel) and Ishwari Bose Bhattacharya, an actress born and brought up in France. The film explores various relationships in the life of Arani, the poet. In another track is this lesbian relationship between the characters played by Roopa and Ishwari.

Anuranan is the first Bengali film shot in London in an extensive schedule. It has an ensemble cast of Rituparna- Rahul Bose- Raima- Rajat Kapoor. It explores contemporary urban married relationships.

The grand launch

My sincere apologies to my readers for writing late about something which I sincerely feel deserved an early post.

The Bong Connection, the film the entire Kolkata youth is awaiting for a long time, had its music launch on 25 May at Kund area of City Centre. What a grand launch!! As the talented compere Jimmy Tangree (Known to the city as the voice of Red FM) mentioned, hardly any Indian film ever had an open-air music launch.

It started with a musical performance on-stage by the film's music director Neel Dutt (Also known as son of Anjan Dutt), director Anjan Dutt ( A popular singer-composer-lyricist as well) and their friends, with Parambrata Chattopadhyay (Looking cool in a milk white short shirt and denim), one of the lead actors in the film singing the title song (Sung by Rupankar in the film). The album was unveiled by Parambrata, Raima Sen (One of the two female keads), the producer Joy B Ganguly (Of Moxie Entertainments) and Arindam Sil, the executive producer. The producer, the executive producer and cast & crew present there talked about the film which, as the director put it, is a 'fun film about Bengalis in English language' and was never meant to be a 'Mahaan' ('Great' in Bengali) film. Song snippets were shown on two giant screens. Dibyendu, the young singer who has sung a bhatiyali rock number sang it on stage. The event ended with a jam session that saw Anjan belting out some popular numbers from his first album. He started with 'Mary Ann' which as he put it was a song about Christian Bengalis, followed it with 'Raanjana ami aar asbona' which was about a 'Muslim Bengali' and 'Haripada ekjon sadamata chhotokhato lok' which talked about a 'Hindu Bengali'. Kay Kay Menon, currently shooting Anjan's BBD in the city, also produced by Moxie, made a small appearance among cheers from audience and jokingly shared his 'Bong connection' (That he has a Bengali wife) and 'Non-Bong connection (That he hates eating fish).

The album has about six tracks including a nice remixed Rabindrasangeet sung by Nachiketa.

The film releases on June 22.