The Date with Tin Tin

After a fairly long time I’m keenly awaiting a Hollywood movie. Tin Tin, one of the favourite comic strip heroes of our generation, that grew up in the seventies and eighties, is coming back with a bang to the celluloid after almost four decades of his last screen outing.

The iconic comic strip by Herge (as he was popularly known) from Belgium, was first published in Bengali among all Indian languages. Two pages of the adventures of Tin Tin was a permanent feature of Anandamela- the popular fortnightly children’s magazine from the ABP group, and it was the first thing that I would invariably check out immediately after grabbing a new copy. The comic strip stayed as Anandamela went through a transformation over time, including converting to the regular size from a small size (that of a regular book) that is my first memory of the magazine and Tin Tin as well.

I followed Tin Tin, a young, boyish-looking reporter with a golden tuft that was sort of his brand identity, having a penchant for cracking mysteries, through his series of adventures that took him through various places across globe from desserts to the land of Red Indians, and even moon. He and his dog Snowy were often accompanied in the adventures by Captain Haddock, the hardcore mariner with an amusingly colourful vocabulary. And the duo would often come across Professor Calculus, the semi-deaf inventor whose famous line was ‘More to the west’, and the twin detectives Thompson and Thompson known for messing up things more than solving cases. To make it suit the language, especially the school-going readers, Snowy was called Kuttus and the detective duo Johnson and Rohnson in Anandamela, and later in the Bengali edition of Tin Tin books published by Penguin. Tin Tin sailed across many incredibly challenging and life-threatening situations by virtue of his quick wit and vast knowledge.

The attraction of the movie in question, apart from the fact that it is largely a 3D-animation-based (with actors playing the famous characters besides a completely animated, perfect-looking Snowy), hence a smarter version unlike the previous ones, and that the pirate villain is played by Daniel Craig, is that it is directed by none other than the great Steven Spielberg, a self-confessed Tin Tin buff. Fate came between him and his dream movie for a few decades before he filmed ‘The Adventures of Tin Tin : The Sectret of the Unicorn’ (about a sunken treasure in a huge ship named Unicorn, one of my favourite Tin Tin adventures) that is releasing worldwide in phases now. It has released first in Belgium, the country of Herge, and where Tin Tin is a national icon, on 26th October, followed by other European countries, Asia, Africa, the Australia continent and finally in North and Latin America through December ’11 – January ‘12. It is releasing across India on November 11.

Can’t wait to set a date with my childhood hero after November 11!! Am sure, scores of Kolkatans who have been avid Tin Tin readers in their younger years are feeling as nostalgic or more. Would also like find it out for myself how the young reporter fares on celluloid in the age of famous big screen versions of Spiderman, Batman and Harry Potter.

Pictures : 1. Tin Tin & Snowy from the comics, 2. The movie poster of 'The Adventures of Tin Tin : The Sectret of the Unicorn' and 3. Tin Tin and Captain Haddock from the movie.

Dining at Anand

Had heard a lot about Anand - the south Indian cuisine restaurant - a lot before I moved to my new workplace in April 2011 at Chandni Chowk where it is located. Naturally I was keen to check it out thereafter.

By now I have been there a couple of times, and I love their long and perfectly crisp masala dosa which has a lightly cooked potato filling, and the mixed uttapam too. The sambhar particularly appeals to me. The sambhar and coconut chutney are refilled whenever required, without call, and at no extra cost. The service is quick, and if you order dosa it's the quickest. The dishes are priced at just a small premium. A masala dosa comes close to Rs 50 (without VAT). The lassi is good too, and I guess the other south Indian items that I haven't tried are more or less similarly good in taste.

They serve north Indian dishes (Like chana batora, chaats etc) too.

Naturally the air-conditioned joint is a favourite among officegoers in the CBD. Be prepared to wait for some time at lunch hour though the sitting capacity isn't small.

What many may not know is that Anand makes good veg pizzas too. It was recommended by my foodie boss and I vouch for that after tasting two varieties. And they are much inexpensive considering the quality. Wish to taste their mushroom pizza some day.

A feat at CMRI

Here's a friend's post on Facebook (My additions are in bold):
CMRI (Calcutta Medical Research Institute), Kolkata rejoined 4 severed fingers of a 3-year old girl (from Ghatal, in Bengal) in a 8-hour long operation on 13th October 2011. Congrats docs! She's expected to recover fully in about 6 months.

A few years ago doctors at the same hospital successfully rejoined the severed hands of a factory worker from Hooghly who carried his own limb to the hospital wrapped in a plastic bag.


Take a bow, docs at CMRI, for your magic on limbs!!

Sandesh from Nakur

The client treated with two varieties of sandesh from Nakur Chandra Nandy, the famous sweet shop near Hedua, on occasion of Bijoya. Nakur's sandesh is legendary and a bite into the soft (Naram pak variety) chocolate sandesh was ample proof of that. As the liquid chocolate came out of its core, it felt heavenly. It's difficult to stop at one even for someone without a sweet tooth like me (also considering I'm watching my diet these days). The other one, a regular ‘Naram pak’ sandesh, was great too.

Calcutta Times : a put off after a great hope

Unfortunately Calcutta Times was back to its old broadsheet avatar on Sunday, October 9 (Re: My last post The New Calcutta Times) and it continues today. The hope for a proper tabloid-style avatar, giving t2 a run for its money, crashed.

The new Calcutta Times

The brand new tabloid size avatar of Calcutta Times was a pleasant surprise this morning. Am loving it! Noticed that it is now talking to its readers directly (Like "We'll let the photo speak" or "We're ready to insure it"), just like t2 does it.

Loved the naughty cover story on the most 'insurable' assets of the beauties of Bangla film industry.

t2, you have serious competition now. The Kolkata tabloid scene looks set to be more exciting!

(Picture sourced from The Times of India e-paper)

Pujo 2011

It was decently spent. Through pandal-hopping at Barrackpore (checked out the first theme Puja - known to me- there), home-cooked mutton curry on Nabami, Salt Lake Pujas and Kakurgachhi-Sribhumi-Lake Town Pujas.

Didn't find the idols impressive this year. The patterns were too common, except for a bit of innovation like Lake Town Pradip Sangha (Conceived by Artist Prashanta Pal), and Salt Lake FD block (just the sheer size, all of 51 feet). The leading trend was the Jamini Roy-influenced style. I felt that the attention of the Puja organisers has drifted from the idol, (very unlike what it was in the 90's) and set on attracting huge footfall with newer and sensational themes in pandal. Some 'arty' idols were pretty small in size, rivaling a Saraswati idol one sees at the time of Saraswati Puja. Didn't find a single memorable face among the idols, and sorely missed the traditional angry face of Durga.

The auto rickshaws, of great help during pandal-hopping, made a killing, fleecing the vulnerable passengers. I was charged Rs 15 (the regular fare is Rs 8) for Ultadanga to City Centre and an incredible Rs 20 for Baishakhi to Ultadanga (More than double the fare). Was so irritated in the latter case that I refused to pay in change initially.

Didn't also find anything new in the street food, except for the Fruity Freeze range of Rollick ice creams. Had the Daab Malai flavour. Innovative and good in taste, but wish they used more of green coconut pulp instead of a mix of the same and coconut with the ice cream. The price (Rs 30 a single scoop) was exorbitant too! The rest was the same, routine roll-phuchka-ghughni-bhel puri-papri chaat-chowmein and ice cream. With an increasing number of cuisines on offer in the restaurants, it was time Kolkata expanded it's street food offerings too!

'Baishe Srabon' outside Bengal

Good to know (from Srijit Mukherjee's wall post and Prosenjit's tweet) that Baishe Srabon is having a simultaneous release today in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Certainly one of the best Puja gifts for the true-blue Bangalees there. Enjoy!

The Desh short stories number

Bought the just-released Desh stort stories issue. Read Sangeeta Bandopadhyay's Dushtu Mishti first, and loved it (And told her so on Facebook!). It's a humane take on a relationship between a single woman and her pug.

Would love to come back here to talk more on the issue. Looks like a nice, small Puja gift from Desh!

The yummiest Mishti Doi

Posted a question on my Facebook wall to do an informal poll among friends : Who makes the yummiest 'Mishti Doi' in the city?. My vote went to Ganguram.

The result (Based on a few comments) is skewed towards Ganguram. And there was a small insight too. Many of us like the Mishti Doi from our neighbourhood sweet shops.

I don't have a sweet tooth. I have started having sweets on my own (i.e. not when treated by somebody) much late in life. In my late twenties. Still I am not much fond of Mishti Doi. I rather like the sour version when made at home. I didn't like the legendary Amrito's Mishti Doi. I've never been displeased with the transition of Mishti Doi to ice cream at marriage receptions and other similar occasions. But I found this dessert at Ganguram's different.

A foodie colleague treated me with Ganguram's Mishti Doi. And I loved it. It doesn't have a so called crust that's so much sought after by the Mishti Doi fans. It's the same at the top and bottom. Not too sweet or thick.

Oh, about the poll. The votes went to Mithai and Banchharam among the well-known brands of Kolkata. And the local ones include Shree Durga Mishtanna Bhandar in Behala and Ashesh Sweets in Barasat.

The poll can continue here. What's your pick as the 'Yummiest Mishti Doi in Kolkata'?

The sandwich at Just Baked

Loved the chicken sandwich at Just Baked, at lunch today. At Rs 30, it is at a 50% higher rate than Monginis, with a taste, rich with generous dose of mayonnaise, that better.

Was tempted to have the chocolate walnut brownie as well (which is really good here!), but resisted for taking in too many calories (am on a diet watch before Puja).

A Facebook post

Sanghita Chatterjee, a freelance writer and jewellery designer, and a Facebook friend of this blogger has made a wall post I couldn't resist sharing here (post a chuckle):

I love you with all my heart...but my butt is bigger.

The Baishe Srabon soundtrack

Kolkata seems to be hooked to Gobhire jao, aaro gobhire jao ever since the Baishe Srabon trailer made it to the virtual world, and especially after the August 27 music release.

Apart from this Rupankar song, Ekbar bol nei, tor keu nei, keu nei - written, composed and sung by Anupam is also catching on fast.

Liked the Anupamesque flavour (As a dear friend put it) in both the songs. Looking forward to the other songs from the Baishe Srabon soundtrack, written and composed by Anupam with voices like Rupam, Shreya, Raghab, Anindya and Saptarshi (Who sung the other version of Beche thakar gaan in Autograph). Hope Anupam lives up to his Autograph fame and grows with this film as a competent music director. His two songs (Written and composed) in Autograph are still so popular that they get featured in Friends FM weekly top 10 after nearly a year of their release. Had also loved Anupam's Bariye dao tomar haat and Classroom from Chalo Paltai, released earlier this year, that marked his debut as a full-fledged music director.

The aquatic meet

The annual aquatic meet at Lake Town Swimming Pool Association drew a huge number of members starting from small kids, and enthusiastic guardians on 4th September, Sunday morning.

It was cute to see teachers in the water helping 3-4 year olds in finishing their freestyle lap in the mini pool. This category didn't have winners. Each participant was given a medal, which was a nice gesture on the club's part.

The swimming den draws huge number of swimmers and swimming aspirants, being the best in the business in North-East Kolkata. The fees are reasonable. It sports two well-maintained pools - one main pool and one mini pool (for kids). Many members participate in competitive swimming at various levels.

Rituparno on Twitter

Yes, Rituparno Ghosh has joined the Twitterverse in the middle of this August. No, it's NOT a fake profile, because his tweet has been carried in t2, and also evident from his tweet exchanges with well-known Twitterfolks. Logged on to Twitter rightaway after I read his tweet in t2 today and followed him. Am interested in Twitter again after long for his tweets. Hope he stays regular

A big 'Thank you' to t2 for publishing his tweet.

Uro Chithi

Loved Uro Chithi - the August '11 film sporting an ensemble cast, by debutant Kamaleswar Mukherjee.

It's a story of one year in the life of techie Aniket caught in rough weather during the last recession - capturing abut various people in his life. The ensemble cast with Indraneil (the protagonist), Saswata, Sudipta, Rudranil, Biswanath (The surprise package), Sreelekha, Biswajit, Locket, Reshmi, Tanusree and others is spot on. Everyone was just perfect for their roles. Tight script, good storytelling, superb performances and good music make it a recommendation.

Waited long for Uro Chithi. And it was worth it! Loved the doctor-turned-adman-turned-director Kamaleswar's dialogue (especially the witty one liners) in Natobor Not Out last year. Looking forward to his next work.

Iti Mrinalini disappoints

Yesterday I watched the film I so eagerly and frustratingly awaited all this while……only to find it wasn’t worth the wait! Sheer disappointment!

It is far, far from Aparna's best work. And sad for we the audience that it came right after The Japanese Wife.

I expected a close look at Mrinalini’s careergraph, her path to success, her exit. There hasn’t been a worthy film on the life of a lead actress of Bengali cinema in the 70′s (while we have a Nayak) and I expected Iti Mrinalini to fill that void. But Iti.. showed Mrinalini at work only as reference points for sketching her personal life. And top of all, she’s shown to work mostly in Siddhartha Sarkar’s (The character of a leading, commercially successful director, played by Rajat Kapoor, in Anjan Dutta's voice) films. Utterly ridiculous!!

Not that the film DOES NOT HAVE redeeming qualities. The performances - Konkona, Kaushik Sen, Rajat, Ananya Banerjee (the older Sohini) - are first rate. Kaushik's talent is well-known, but his Chintan Nair will stay in audience memory for long. The music, especially the title track by Srikanto Acharya (Based on Sunil Gangopadhyay's poem) is good, and the cinematography by the late Somak Mukhopadhyay is outstanding.

I loved the ruthlessly honest 'personal' take of Pratim D. Gupta on the film (The link : http://moifightclub.wordpress.com/2011/08/01/iti-mrinalini-koko-channel-in-rina-rut/#comment-5884).

Life in Metro : 3 - The 'Smart' commuter

Every daily commuter was waiting for this for a painfully long time. The new Smart Card from Kolkata Metro. The authorities stopped issuing the current avatar of Smart Card long back, forcing the daily commuters to stand in painfully long queues or buy multi-ride tickets. Now, multi-riders come with their own reality, which is not palatable.

So, when the paperless travel (Switch from magnetic paper ticket to plastic tokens) was kicked off in July '11, the subsequent announcement of fresh issue of 'Smart' cards caught many like me, who suffer long queues every morning and haplessly count the no. of trains passing by before we reach the counter, in great enthusiasm. Mine was higher as I haven't ever possessed one.

The expected date of launch was missed at least once, just like the launch of the token system. Finally the newspaper report yesterday brought the day in striking distance. Metro counters for smart cards opened yesterday itself.

Changed my route midway today after dropping my elder daughter to school at Sealdah. Travelled back to get down at Dum Dum, my stop for the daily metro ride to Chandni Chowk. The queue (only for smart cards) was as long as that of regular tickets any other day. But, fine, it was going to be the last pain before a long relief. Quickly took down the 'Must know' info of a smart card from fellow commuters, and ended up at the counter after a wait of 35 minutes. Bought the long desired object costing Rs 100 (with an usage value of Rs 120 and a validity of 30 days). Aahhhh.....life in Kolkata Metro will be different now.

The debut : Sananda TV

Was keen to check out the first day (that was yesterday) of the new baby in the Bengali GEC circuit from the house of the mighty Anandabazar Patrika - Sananda TV.

Had intended to catch only Pralay Aschhe - one of the 6 daily soaps, directed and produced by Raj Chakraborty. Was impressed with the production value. Shot on a RED camera used in contemporary cinema, the frames looked like a movie, as promised by Raj. Liked Paran Bandopadhyay (he plays an upright and witty teacher) the most. Supriyo Dutta plays an evil politician, the kind of character he is pro at. The first episode showed a murder by local anti socials in a Kolkata locality modelled on the Rajib Das murder in Barasat in February 2011. Am keen to check out Abir Chatterjee's smart cop act in the next episodes.

Spoilt for choice

Delhi Belly, Ichchhe, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.....the cinephile in me is spoilt for choice this weekend.

Ichchhe is being raved about by people from the industry. Aniket Chattopadhyay recommended it to me last night, and now I see Anindya Chattopadhyay's appreciative wall post on Facebook highlighting Sohini Sengupta's sterling performance in the film. We really missed Sohini on big screen after her memorable act as Khuku in Aparna Sen's Paromitar Ekdin in 2000.

Icche is based on a Suchitra Bhattacharya story about a possesive and ambitious mother and her son (played by Sohini and newcomer Samadarshi respectively) and directed by Nandita Roy and debutant Shiboprosad Mukherjee. It has music by Surojit Chatterjee of Bhumi and and an exciting line-up of lead singers from Bangla bands who've sung solos in the film: Rupam (of Fossils), Sidhu (of Cactus), Subhojit (of Lakkhichhara), Anindya Chattopadhyay (of Chandrabindoo) and Anusheh Anadil (of 'Bangla' band in Bangladesh). Those who want to dig deeper, visit the movie's Facebook page and website.

Iti Mrinalini promo

Looks like a classic awaiting release (on this July 29). Awaiting a competent and enjoyable take on the life of a lead actress in Bangla cinema from the '70s that is coming long after the brilliant Nayak by Satyajit Ray in 1966 based on the life of a male matinee idol of Bangla cinema played by Uttam Kumar.

What makes the film more interesting is that it is directed by actress-director Aparna Sen, who has been a lead actress of that era, and is playing the aged Mrinalaini - the title role (While Konkona Sen Sharma, her daughter, plays the younger Mrinalini).

Am personally curious to check out Kaushik Sen, who has played a Tamil director in the film in a reportedly standout performance. Kaushik, though highly deserving, has been largely overlooked in Bangla cinema so far, with only a few good films in his record, despite proving his worth sustainably in theatre and television.

Am also keen to listen to its music (by Debajyoti Mishra), with a friend having predicted that the song 'Aami achhi je tomar opekkhay saradin' is set to be a chartbuster.

Pastime

A retired Kolkatan engaged in a passionate game of chess on the sidewalk. Shot in a locality in North Kolkata where it is a typical pastime.

Picture courtesy : Shreyas Surya DasGupta, who loves to shoot the city in its various moods.

Hoarding free heritage

It was pleasantly surprising to see super prompt action on the new government's decision spelt out by KMC : Pull down all the hoardings from BBD Bag to Park Street. The objective was something long-cherished by passionate Kolkatans - To be able to relish the Kolkata heritage blocked by countless hoardings of all shapes and sizes creating intense visual pollution for long. On the first day itself (that's yesterday) several hoardings were pulled down by the respective agencies on an overdrive.

Thumbs up to the new state government for the determined step towards a more beautiful Kolkata that we all can be proud of.

Iti Mrinalini releasing

It felt good to know that the eagerly-awaited Iti Mrinalini starring Aparna Sen, Konkona Sen Sharma and Priyangshu Chatterjee, directed by Aparna, is finally releasing on July 29. It gave a painfully long wait to the cinefiles in the city. The movie will also release in Hindi.

The last picture shows the director-acress and her actress daughter in the shoot.

Roopa....by Anurag

Here's the elegant Roopa Ganguly for you....shot impromptu by Anurag Basu at Darjeeling where he was shooting Barfee with Ranbeer Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra. Roopa plays a role in the film, her first Hindi film in a long time.

Sincere thanks to Roopa Ganguly for the permission for the photograph, sourced from her Facebook album.

Challenge Nibi Na : a brief look

Am not being able to catch up with Challenge Nibi Na - the reality show with celebrities on ETV Bangla at 9 pm due to work schedule. Caught just 2-3 episodes.

The celebs are being put through really unfamiliar and challenging tasks in a village. Like catching fish, collecting dry leaves and filling sacks with them, collecting eggs from under small baskets spread over an area, fun games like a quick run to and from a point and cutting a gourd in between and blindfolded team games. Some are finding it more challenging for their excess weight and lack of fitness while some are smoothly sailing through for being fit and in shape.

The fit brigade : Rimjhim Mitra, Sampurna, Dibyendu, Silajit.
The fat pack : Kamalika, Arindam Sil, Sohini Paul, Swastika Mukherjee.

It was surprising to find Sohini awfully fat, with her bulging stomach hanging in a white t-shirt. Swastika too looked too fat for a lead actress. Both of them really need to go through a strict fitness regimen to get back to reasonable shape.

Nondinee promo

Here's the second promo of Nondinee, the upcoming film by Subrata Sen after a long gap, starring Swastika Mukherjee. Mir and singer Dibyendu have played the male leads.

Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbona

Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbona is touching, bold and straight from the heart. Abani Sen, though a Bengali rockstar of that age is not really credible, is certainly amongst Anjan's best as an actor. Parno is impressive and so is Ranjana's voice - Somlata.

The film, though it has some elements too typical and repetitive of Anjan, takes off from where Anjan's Madly Bangalee ended and goes deep into the creative crisis of a rockstar and also has a brief but ruthlessly honest look at today's rock music and people making it. A fresh and interesting take. Recommended.

Srabanti's item number

Was pleasantly surprised to read about Srabanti's first item number in a Munni badnaam hui-resembling costume in Soumik Chattopadhyay's under-production film under the banner of Venkatesh Films on t2 Tollywood page today. It will be interesting to catch how so far the 'only seen as cute 'n' glam' Srabanti fares in the item number space.

Should be a treat to numerous netizens looking up Srabanti on the net and occasionally landing up on this blog, making the page views of the posts featuring her topping the most other most-viewed pages. Would love to have some comments from them here.

Picture sourced from : t2, The Telegraph 25 June 2011.

Jagorone jai Bibhabori...

The remade Rabindrasageet with guitar and drums in the background from Anjan Dutt's 24 June release Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbona is filling up my senses.....after Rupam's Beche thakar gaan (from Autograph) did it last Puja and Babul and Shreya's Pherari mon (from Antaheen) the year before that.

Loved Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury's voice, and Kabeer Suman's too (after a painfully long time on playback) in Jagorone, and especially the western orchestration superbly composed by Neel Dutt. Neel is keeping up with his successful experimentation with Rabindrasangeet since the brilliant Pagla hawa in The Bong Connection.

Eagerly awaiting the film.

Star Ananda 20:20

Loved the panel discussion of an eclectic mix of participants from Bangla film industry on Star Ananda 20:20 telecast last evening. The topic was : Paglu and Shotru (two recent big releases) did business worth crores. What did the industry get?

Moderated by Suman De, the panel had Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, Anjan Dutta, Raj Chakraborty, Anindya Chattopadhyay, Sujan (Neel) Mukherjee, Rahul, Mahendra Soni and Jeet Ganguly. The last two were refreshing additions to such a debate, and thanks to Star Ananda for that.

The sorry state of the stadium

It felt bad to know the sorry state of our showcase Salt Lake Stadium in this Times of India report published today. Always knew that the stadium gets a step-motherly attitude from the state government when it comes to maintenance and the ground has never got a much-needed overhaul in it's history. It's a shame for the last state government that despite earning from the stadium through hire charges for private functions, the upkeep always received a royal neglect.

Thankfully the new Minister of State for Sports (with independent charge) Madan Mitra has got into action soon after assuming duty and has ordered a maintenance drive. There are good reasons too, for if everything is upto the mark, the stadium is going to host the Argentine football team this September with Lionel Messi as the star attraction.

Also shocking to know was the state of a pride of the city - Rabindra Sadan (See this adjacent report in The Times of India).

The fate of the two

So the swearing-in of the new state government happened before a robust audience. Now recalling the speculation made in my earlier post Run-up to the elections 1 : Two distinct candidates, it has become half true. Yes, Amit Mitra is the new Finance Minister, but Bratya has been allocated the Higher Education portfolio, which he should be able to do justice to given his teaching experience in college. He wasn't given the Information & Culture portfolio (as also speculated in a prominent Bangla daily) because of Mamata Banerjee's principle that people shouldn't be given the ministries in line with their field of work by default. More thought should go into the portfolio allocation. I agree.

Am also particularly happy about the cabinet berth allocation to Manish Gupta (the giant killer who defeated the last Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya by a good margin) who wasn't really interested to become a minister. The Planning & Development department looks like in the safe hands of an Ex-Chief Secretary.

A respite!

The city was at its hot 'n' humid best for the first two days this week. Those like us who need to work on the field daily or occasionally suffered the most. It dehydrated the body to the core. The late afternoon yesterday was better but.

Today was definitely a big relief. It started as a cool, dry, cloudy day. There was heavy pouring in the afternoon. Hence it felt good being on the field throughout the day.

Hope such weather balances out the summer torture this season, which is proving to be less ruthless than its predecessors.

'Noukadubi' music launch

The unique music launch of the Rituparno Ghosh-directed and Subhash Ghai's Mukta Searchlight Films-produced Noukadubi (Based on the Tagore novella of the same name) took place on a barge on Hooghly last evening. The film has been scored by Debajyoti Mishra (Second from right in the picture). It's set to release on 20th May.

No Sunday without ‘Robbar’

A complimentary Sunday magazine distributed with the daily paper is something many look forward to, Sunday being the only day with the luxury of leisurely reading that covers a variety of subjects that a daily paper doesn’t deal with on weekdays.

In the past the Sunday magazine used to be associated only with only the English newspapers, like The Telegraph and Hindustan Times. Graphiti from Telegraph and Brunch from HT are two quality offerings that I am sure command a great readership. To many these magazines must be the main attraction of reading the Sunday papers. In the recent years one of the prominent Bangla dailies has joined the league with its unique Sunday offering – Robbar ( which means Sunday). It is from the house of Sangbad Pratidin. The paper, though paints a certain political image through the broadsheet, has been doing a competent job when it comes to the supplements (apart from Robbar it publishes Popcorn – the Friday entertainment supplement and Ami – the Saturday women’s supplement).

With Rituparno Ghosh at the helm and Anindya Chattopadhyay (of Chandrabindoo fame, who’s a competent writer too) as the associate editor, Robbar has successfully carved out a niche of being a literary magazine, offering a quality, wholesome weekend read without which my (and many other loyal readers’) Sundays are incomplete.

I was introduced to Robbar by Anindya Chattopadhyay. Went to the supplements section of the paper (at the top floor of Sangbad Pratidin office-cum-press next to Hindu Mutual House at Chandni Chowk) for some work with him in 2008. He gifted me some old issues of the magazine, and I was gradually hooked. Over more than the last two years, Robbar has refreshed its content at a healthy interval. Many columnists have left and new ones joined. But my engagement with it has grown only stronger. I am in love with its quintessential Bengali essence which, besides providing food for thought to the top end of the educated class, deals at ease with middle class Bengali sensibilities, likes and preferences, and the underlying wit in its nature.

It comprises, apart from a well-penned editorial by Rituparno, a cover story on some well-chosen aspect of Bengal and Bengali life, regular columns by noted writers Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Ranjan Bandopadhyay (about books by authors across the world), Samaresh Majumdar, Joy Goswami (discussing poetry), Chandril Bhattacharya (of Chandrabindoo fame, and an established name in sarcastic writing) and Sudhir Chakraborty. Two of the recent additions are a mythology column by the expert – Nrisingha Prasad Bhanduri and another by Sanjib Chattopadhyay. These are peppered by two serial novels - Ashtam Garbho by Bani Basu, and Kshama Karo He Prabhu - a religious thriller (a new genre) by Rupak Saha, and a food column that talks about food, food joints and the story behind them by Amitabha Malakar. Rupak’s engaging and highly informative novel is my first read in Robbar. The cover story is one of its core strengths, providing the take of a set of handpicked people from various walks of life on the subject.

You can also read it online here.

Ritu's angel

Congratulations to Rituparna Sengupta on being the proud mother of a "cute little girl" (in her own words) on 12 May 2011. She's in Singapore now, at her husband's place. Both the mother and the baby are doing well, as per Sanjay, the proud father.

Wish Rituparna and the little angel good health.

Finally....it's a green Bengal

It was sooooo disappointing not to be able to blog yesterday - The Historic Day in Bengal. Blogger was kept out of access by the site administrators.

Anyways, so finally Bengal is green now, putting an end to the longest-lasting communist rule in a democratic set up in the whole world, all of about 34 years, through the storming triumph of the Trinamool Congress & Indian National Congress coalition that won 227 sets out of 294, throwing out the ruling Left Front that managed only 62 seats. Being someone brought up in the communist-led Bengal it's hard to sink in.

Let's look forward to a new regime with renewed hopes. All the best to Mamata Banerjee & Co. Hope the life in Bengal gets only better now, albeit gradually.

A working lunch

Had an all-agency meeting at the client's office yesterday. Enjoyed the pizza and chicken wings lunch from Domino's ordered in. Never imagined Domino's served chicken wings (Picture above). The sauce used in the chicken wings added to the taste. And the complimentary Choco Lava Cake (Picture above) with liquid chocolate inside was sinfully tempting.

I used to rate Domino's after Pizza Hut as far as regular pizza is concerned at least, but liked their thin crust pizzas.

A pleasant onset

This is the most relieving onset of summer in a long, long time. A complete contrast with the cruel same time last year.

It's hard to believe that it's feeling cool at the night and the dawn. One can even feel like switching off the fan. And we've already had about 4 nor'westers by now. It's raining once almost every week. Let's see what's awaiting us.

The first D Day

One D Day is over, another coming 13th May. Kolkata, along with North and South 24 Parganas went to polls on 27th April. It was by and large peaceful and well-organised, thanks to Election Commission.

But I was disappointed by Kolkata's polling rate: just 64%, while North 24 Parganas polled 83% and South 24 Parganas 84%. The ratio is in line with the last civic poll in 2010 and general elections in 2009. South 24 Parganas did a shade better this time. Despite the stats, I expected Kolkata, being the thought leader in Bengal, to lead from the front and turn up to ink the finger in an impressive number, as this is not just another election. It is the most watched, closely fought, adrenaline-pumping assembly election in the last three decades that has shown a possibility to end the 34-year communist rule in Bengal that has made international history.

Hind : a new avatar

Hind cinema, after a painfully long wait spanning years, is opening again today in a cool new avatar - Hind Fame. Yes, it's a multiplex now, a two-screener at that (with a robust capacity of 701 seats, by multiplex standards), under the Fame umbrella, making it the third Fame plex in town.

It should be a good option for the mammoth office crowd in central business district, close to which it is located (76 Ganesh Chandra Avenue). Particularly for cinephiles like me who look for convenient (read 'not far', comfortable and moderately priced) movie-watching options post work. Am excited because it's just a less-than-10-minutes walk from my Chandni Chowk office!! The ticket prices will be kept lower than market rates, they said in an interview in a t2 preview sometime back. The theatre will cater to the burning need for good theatres in Central Kolkata, which used to be a movie buff's delight with a wide array of quality theatres like Lighthouse, New Empire, Globe and Metro long back.

Wish it all the very best!

t2 : the big bore

The 24-page t2 can really be a big bore, like today's edition. Since its debut in January it is yet to plan well to fill up the 24 pages (save a few for advertisements). The variety of features and consistency of new columns has been lacking all this while. Even MySpace, a fresh sub-section in Tollywood (Check my earlier post MySpace debuts in t2), has't been continued.

Today's edition is all about Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 4, end to end. It covers pages on Dav Whatmore, Gautam Gambhir and Brett Lee's bites, celebrity take on KKR, fan frenzy, KKR quiz.....and two pages on how to dress like Shah Rukh (when he is with KKR) and how the suits for SRK and his KKR men were stiched!! Can you believe it? Wait, there are more. There are two more pages on....hold your breath...Shah Rukh's bowling action and a few of his other moments on-ground (including the jersy-lifting to show the packs on his stomach)!! It almost looks like an advertiser's supplement by KKR. All this is plain nonsense, from the point of view of the universe of t2 readers who are, well, not really obsessed with KKR and look for other things to spice up their day. It is a brainless proclamation of the fact that t2 is the print partner of KKR.

The new year : 1418

Shubho Nababarsho to all the readers of Kolkata Curry.

To the Bengalis and all Bengalis-at-heart : May we become better and more proud Bengalis for the right reasons and inspire our fellow people to be so in 1418.

The changing economy at Barrackpore

I went to watch a movie at Jayanti – a popular single-screen theatre that has been recently converted to a 3-screen multiplex at Barrackpore, my hometown. After buying the ticket, I had some time to kill before the show. I was feeling a little hungry and thought of treating myself to a mutton roll. There are two popular roll joints adjacent to one another at Chiria More, where Jayanti is located. As I reached the first one, called Anil Saha (after the owner’s name), the price of a mutton roll on the price board in front of the joint shocked me. It was Rs 35. I am aware of the rising prices of mutton, but it completely freaked me out. How can people pay Rs 35 for just a mutton roll! It costs far less in Kolkata. And a few rupees added to it, it can buy a plate of chicken fried rice from a decent small joint there.

In hindsight, the realization dawned on me. It is a popular roll joint. Every evening it has customers crowding in front of it. The owner knows the market. Therefore he surely knows how to price his products. I have little doubt that even at that price mutton roll is in high demand at Anil Saha. At the same time, I’m sure a mutton roll is available at a lower price in some of the other popular roll joints in this district town.

Anil Saha is part of the fast-growing snacks and eating out market in Barrackpore, once a sleepy sub-divisional town on the main line of Eastern Railways from Sealdah (on road it is the place where BT Road ends). It has always had an educated population and a good number of people coming to it everyday for education, job and entertainment. It has a number of Bengali and English medium schools and two colleges including Rashtraguru Surendranath College - one of the better colleges in Kolkata’s suburbs, Palta Waterworks is located here and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. is nearby, apart from the sub-divisional administrative building, the sub-divisional criminal court, banks, a head post office and other government offices. It has 4 single-screen theatres apart from Jayanti. All this hints at it’s being a good market for out-of-home food consumption. Some of the food joints are riding the demand curve in such a way that they comfortably started pricing their stuff higher than their city counterparts long back. And thus the price of a plate of mutton biriani at the hugely popular biriani joint ‘Dada Boudir Hotel’ near Barrackpore railway station has touched Rs 100 now, where in New Aliah Hotel, one of the best in Mughlai cuisine in Kolkata it costs Rs 83. A mutton korma (or some similar mutton dish with gravy) costs Rs 130 with just about a moderate quantity of mutton in one of the popular restaurants here, our next door neighbour shared the other day.

Supporting this phenomenon are the real estate prices. A kottah of land near Barrackpore railway station may easily cost Rs 5-6 lac. A local friend, a software engineer by profession, who I met the other day, shared that he was taken aback by the price per square feet (Rs 2000 or more) for an apartment at Genexx Towers, being constructed by a big real estate player from Kolkata at Palta, a place next to Barrackpore, as he went looking for an apartment.

Real estate is growing fast in Barrackpore, with vacant land and old houses fast making space for apartments. Many upper middle class families are eyeing the town for setting up home due to its inherent characteristics – peacefulness (there are hardly incidents of political turbulence / hooliganism, education facilities, good train and road connectivity with city (Local trains starting from Barrackpore go to Sealdah, BBD Bagh – the central business district and south Kolkata). And the corresponding rise in total disposable income of the population is showing in various aspects of living and changing the economic balance.

Run-up to elections 2 : A strange game

The state Housing Minister Goutam Deb seems to be into a strange game. He is repeatedly opening his mouth in support of Majid Master, who has a number of police cases against him (that includes murder and rioting), had been officially 'absconding' till a few days back, yet had accompanied CPI(M) MP Amitava Nandi to the Left Front headquarters for a meeting with none other than the CM, and subsequently arrested following TMC's complaint to the state election office highlighting this incident.

First Goutam said in an election rally this month in south 24 Parganas (where Majid is reportedly a terror and manipulates the elections in CPI(M)'s favour) that Majid had been framed in 'ridiculous' cases. He announced that his party (CPI(M)) was consulting lawyers to get Majid released on bail at the earliest and assured that he was going to get bail and come back to take charge of elections in Deganga and Haroa, his home territory.

The day after the Special Secretary (Home) clarified that the Left Front government would oppose the bail plea for Majid, clearly indicating state government's intentions and embarrassing the party.

However there hasn't been a reprimand to Goutam from his party not to repeat the incident. And he did just what was not called for. He mentioned yet again in an election rally at Duttapukur yesterday that the effort to get Majid released was still on.

There is no reason to believe that Goutam is another rebel like the late Subhas Chakraborty in his party. In fact he is one major face of his party in the ongoing election campaign. The mechanics behind this strange game he is playing is not clear but his statements seem to be intentional and serving the interest of the party in terms of votebank and election machinery (especially Majid's follower base) and maybe have other deeper reasons.

Arsalan delicacies

Loved the 'Special chicken reshmi kebab' and 'Mutton rogan josh' from Arsalan brought in at office. Am yet to try the biriyani of this famous mughlai restaurant at Park Circus that has shot up the popularity chart extraordinarily fast in recent years and is considered among the best by city foodies, besides media recommendations. The reshmi kebab interestingly had a cheese crust! The prices seem to be a little premium compared to its peers like Zeeshan, Shiraj, Rehmania and New Aliah Hotel.

Momo at Barrackpore

Loved the steamed chicken momo at China Cooks at Barrackpore (near rail gate adjacent to Barrackpore station) on Old Calcutta Rd. Had tasted them before too. The momos at this tiny Chinese takeaway joint were juicy, with decent quantity of chicken inside (by roadside standards), served with a generous helping of sauce, and soup. The soup is their USP: It has egg in it and tastes.........(slurp)........delicious. You may get a second serving of soup if you ask for it (Depends on how fast it is exhausted). 6 momos at just Rs 25 - can value-for-money get any better?

Life in metro : 2

A friend overheard in Kolkata metro:
"Apni?"
"Ami Nazrul."
"Aar dada...apni?"
"Ami Netaji."
"Tahole sore asun, ami Uttam Kumar."

It can't get more hilarious than this when it comes to the Rail Minister's penchant for naming the new metro stations after great sons of the soil, deviating from the practice of naming after the location.

The architect.....and the celebration

The nail-biting finish to the World Cup final on 2nd April was in contrast with the final on 25 June 1983. That evening we saw it coming after Kapil caught Richards incredibly. Finally, thanks to Gautam Gambhir's and Mahi's resolute knocks in a high-pressure situation we rule the cricketing world......after 28 long years.



Couldn't resist posting this picture of Sourav, watching the celebration of India's World Cup triumph at Wankhede stadium on 25th April 2011 from a distance. Didn't anybody remember to call him to join in, like they called Anil Kumble for a photo op? After all he was one of the early architects of today's invincible Team India, someone who took an underperforming XI to the World Cup finals in 2003.

(Photo courtesy: Debasish Sen of 'Extra Time'.)

Remembering 25 June, 1983 again!

Loved this advertisement by Times of India in today's edition to bring back the memory of 25 June, 1983. I was in standard III then and watched the match in a black & white television in a neighbour's place. India accomplished the unimaginable - beat the mighty West Indies in the World Cup final.

Feeling nostalgic today. The difference is that today it's not unimaginable any more. India is a top cricketing power and can beat any team on earth. Looking forward to Mahi & co. beating Sangakkara and his tough men in today's World Cup final in Mumbai.

Will be finishing work and join the boss and colleagues in the conference room in cheering for Men in Blue in front of the projection of online live streaming of the match the entire nation will be watching 2.30 pm onwards. Over lunch and drinks, for which everyone has pooled in money, to add to the mood. Let's Bleed Blue, as Pepsi urges us to.

For a better view of the advertisement, click on the picture.

BESU's green initiative

Kolkata Curry cheers to the news of Belur Math and Dakshineshwar Temple going solar (Published in Times of India today). Due credit goes to the newly set up green research centre at Bengal Engineering and Science University (BESU) for taking up the project. It's also heartening to know that Bengal's green energy champion SP Gon Chaudhuri who was the Managing Director of West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) some time back is now the advisor to the state on renewable energy and involved with the project.

These heritage institutions with large campuses, drawing thousands of people regularly, will be showing the way in saving a great deal of conventional energy that can be used to light up other places.

The next on line are two more heritage institutions - Indian Museum and Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah. Kudos to BESU for championing green energy, starting off with public places that matter in terms of scale, at this critical time of global climate change.

'Makha sandesh' from Bhatpara

Relished the famous 'Makha sandesh' (It is the sandesh in dough form - a distinct variant of the famous Bengali sweetmeat) from Bhatpara, located near Kankinara railway station on the Sealdah main line. It was gifted by our next-door neighbour hailing from that place. Packed in a saal leaf inside the paper box, it was utterly d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.

I didn't have high regards for sweets from Bhatpara, as my brush thus far was limited to a reddish syrupy sweet (typical of the place) that I had been offered on several occasions and found to be excessively sweet. But I loved the makha sandesh. Shall look forward to more of this delicacy.

A cool Bengali tongue-twister

Kolikatar Kalighater Kalichoron Kormokarer Konishtha Konya Komolkoli Kormokar Kopal Kunchito Koriya Kohilo,'Kalukaka Kalukaka,Kak Keno Ka-Ka Kore'?

Shared by Shreyas Surya Dasgupta, a friend, on his Facebook wall. Couldn't resist sharing this with you, the KC readers.

Do try it if you are game for tongue-twisters. Tongue-twister is a part of Bengali and Indian culture and finds its place in films (A good example would be the picnic sequence in Ray's Shakha Prashakha) to reality shows to good old Bengali adda.

MySpace debuts in t2

Ever since t2 has become 24 pages (from 1st January this year) I've wondered like some others I know if team t2 knew what to do with the additional space. I saw regular sections (like Tollywood, Bollywood et al.) expanded to 2 or more pages to utilise the space. Larger pictures, a signature characteristic of t2, are being seen in higher numbers and more often. Not much of new sections or sub-sections are visible.

So it was pleasant to look at MySpace which debuted as part of the Tollywood section today featuring a close look at Koneenica Banerjee's life at home in Kolkata (She has shifted to Mumbai for greener pastures three years back).

Findings about Koni (as she is referred to in industry circuits)? She is a cleanliness freak, and cleans up her place or put things in order everyday, she loves to Facebook, she can cook and rustle up a machher jhol, one of her favourites, in 5 minutes flat, does pranayam every morning (for the past three years) and...........has put back all the weight she had lost a few years back.

Read MySpace here. Would love to have your comments.

Run-up to elections 1: Two distinct candidates

Amit Mitra, Padmashree, Ex-Secretary General of FICCI, noted ecomoist.

Being fielded by Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the Khardaha constituency for 2011 assembly elections in West Bengal, against Asim Dasgupta, Finance Minister. Looks like a smart move.



Bratya Basu, noted playwright, actor (Play and television), play and film director.

Being fielded by Trinamool Congress in the Dum Dum constituency, against Gautam Deb, Housing Minister. His getting a ticket wasn't unexpected.

If they and their party win, will they become the Finance Minister and Information & Culture Minister respectively?

The mystery is over

Srijit Mukherjee unveiled his new film this month. Finished with the controversial script (Read my earlier post Storm over the mystery pages), he let out that this is a ‘Serial killer-cop drama’ where a group of special branch police officers are investigating a series of murders in the city.

Crime thriller is a less-explored genre in contemporary Bangla cinema. Hence Srijit is spot on in picking the subject of his second venture, curiously named 22shey Srabon, after his immensely successful debut with Autograph. Enriching the film that will show the dark side of Kolkata will be the ensemble cast. Prosenjit will be playing Prabir Guha Neogi (the protagonist), a senior police officer, with a mix of attitude, sense of humour and body language that will make him different from familiar cop characters in Bangla movies (Rahul Bose also played an intelligent senior police officer in Antaheen, but he wasn’t shown much in work). Working with him will be Abhijit Pakrashi, an intelligent, bright, young officer coming from small town Bengal, played by Parambrata Chattopadhyay, and Rajesh Sharma as another interesting cop. Raima Sen and Abir Chatterjee play two characters who happen to be childhood friends, working in a television channel. Raima Sen and Abir Chatterjee will be shown as childhood friends who work in a television channel. Raima plays Amrita- a spirited and tough journalist. Parambrata is her love interest (they will be seen in a relationship again after The Bong Connection in 2007). And Srijit has done no short of a casting coup in bringing back Goutam Ghose before the camera to portray an eccentric poet from the sixties. I still recall his tough nut investigative journalist act long back in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s Grihajuddha (1982). He last acted in a cameo in a French film called The Wall (1983), so it’s a gap of 28 years before he’s going to face the camera again! Anupam 'Autograph' Roy will be scoring the film which will have five songs, including two romantic songs, and two intense ones “heavily influenced by classical music” as he put it.

A little peek into Prabir Guha Neogi - He lives in an old mansion in north Kolkata, and has a rich, old-fashioned taste. The pride that Srijit has showed in this character was once immortalized by Chhobi Biswas in many films, including Jalsaghar. He is clued into modern technology but prefers gramophone to CD player for listening to his favourite music. Termed ‘mad’ by his department and suspended, he is recalled to solve the murder case. He is arrogant and treats his juniors like slaves, but eventually bonds with them as a father figure as the story progresses. A very, very unconventional and intriguing protagonist, isn’t he?

Am keen to come back on 22shey Srabon, produced by Shree Venkatesh Films. Watch this blog.

Challenge Nibi Na....

Shooting stills of Challenge Nibi Na - the under-production reality show on Bangla television (Re: Earlier post Bangla avatars of national shows) jointly produced by Kaustuv Roy's RP Techvision and Nitesh Sharma's Bangla Talkies, targeted at an adult audience. The show will have celebrities 'fighting' it out in the real sense of the term for the top prize (Rs 10 lakh). As per media reports the fight often got dirty and abusive. The show will be aired on ETV in a few months.

The first photograph shows Silajit in a sack race. And the last shows the men behind-the-scenes including co-producer Nitesh Sharma (First from left) and line producer Saran Dutta (second from left, in specs).

'Memories in March'

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Loved the promo of debutant Sanjay Nag-directed Memories in March. It's an English film made in Kolkata with Deepti Naval, Rituparno Ghosh and Raima Sen in the cast, under the banner of Shree Venkatesh Films. It's about a mother's discovery of a slice of her son's life (he lives in a different city for work) after his death. The well-made promo gives a peek into this sensitive film that may touch a raw chord. Looking forward to the release on April 1.

Royal Bengal Rahasya

It's news now! Feluda's next - Royal Bengal Rahasya - one of the most thrilling adventures of Feluda - is being produced by Shree Venkatesh Films. Directed by Sandeep Ray of course, starring Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Feluda, Saheb Bhattacharya as Topshe and Bibhu Bhattacharya as Jatayu.

SVF will be the fourth banner producing a Feluda film directed by Sandeep Ray, after D Rama Naidu (Bombaiyer Bombete), T Sarkar Productions (Kailashe Kelenkari and Tintorettor Jishu, after taking over the latter from RD Banshal & Co. under-production) and V3G Films (Gorosthane Sabdhan).

Am sure the SVF stamp will be visible on Royal Bengal Rahasya, from production to the marketing.

A new breakfast option

I lament at the fact that Kolkata does not have a good breakfast market. The options are handful for a breakfast. The main choices are toast (with butter or jelly), omelette and kachuri-alur tarkari.

Was surprised to find this tandoori roti stall that operates in the morning by the flyover at Sealdah (on the road at the right from Jagat cinema end to the station). There were many takers, including some students presumably on way back from their coaching class, relishing the healthy breakfast option. The curries they serve with the over-fresh rotis include tarka, matar paneer, mixed paneer (paneer with veggies) and 1-2 other paneer dishes, alur dum, chana masala and mixed vegetables. And the prices are at market rates of street vendors (Tandoori roti at Rs 2 apiece and half a plate of tarka at Rs 7).

The makeshift stall operates in the evening also, feeding lots of hungry, Sealdah rail station-bound officegoers, and I suppose they are open at lunch hours too. A day's business must be pretty good for the youngsters who man it, as they are strategically located on way to the station. Their success may inspire many others to open up roadside eateries serving tandoori roti right since the morning.

Real women...

.....have curves. And real men truly appreciate that.

And thank you t2 for always celebrating real women, like in todays cover story.

LCD screens at metro

Was happy to learn from a junior colleague that LCD TVs are being installed at metro stations in the city, replacing the old, bulky television sets. Never thought the process would be rolled out so fast. Noticed the other day one LCD TV at Dum Dum station, at the platform where a journey begins, and heard that the other sets there have also been replaced.

The old sets far outlived their lives, and at Dum Dum some of them adopted their own colour themes. So in one set the picture looked green and it looked purple in another. Such was the pathetic state they were in. Now, this new development indeed is far ahead of expectation.

It seems to be a reflection of the large funds sanctioned for Kolkata metro by the new Railways minister, after years of neglect by central government.

Chinese street joint 1

Had lunch from this Chinese joint on RN Mukherjee Rd on 26 February. Run by an old Chinese man, this place offers what every average middle class Bengali identify as the basic Chinese dishes – fried rice, chowmein and chili chicken, along with Vegetable Manchurian. Unlike an average roadside Chinese joint they serve chili dipped vinegar along with chili and tomato sauces (Though not a Chinese sauce, they possibly serve it on popular demand).

I ordered a plate of vegetable fried rice and two pieces of Chili Chicken (they sell it by pieces like an average street joint, reflecting the democratization of this dish that happened more than a decade back) and took two more pieces later. They didn’t spoil the fried rice by adding soya sauce, and the chili chicken had adequate chicken in it, unlike some of the joints where you find little of it inside the thick cornflour crust. The rice was well-cooked with the right vegetables. The chicken was not pungent and the gravy was slightly lighter than its street counterparts. And the prices were as per market rates only (Vegetable fried rice at Rs 14 a plate).

They cater to the lunch market and wrap up by 5 pm. The joint is located at the crossing of Mangoe Lane and RN Mukherjee Rd, at the sidewalk by the old CTC office at 14 RN Mukherjee Rd. Would like to come back.

Life in metro : 1

Given Kolkata’s fast rising preference for the metro as the best mode of mass transport, recently noticed in a big way after the extension from Tollygunge to Garia, the announcement of airconditioned rakes coming in was like a dream. But the experience of service so far has varied from pleasant to below par.

Boarded one such train (There is one, or two at the most now) from Dum Dum, the terminal station, on 26 February on way to work. The AC wasn’t working, and it started feeling hot, and suffocated to some older co-passengers. Some of them remarked that the regular rakes are better and they are happy with them as they allow air flow. Some said that if there was a problem in running the AC, this rake should not be run at office hours. To add to it, the announcement of next station in public address system which is in sync with the LCD display in the compartment was wrong. Some joked at the announcement bit that since it was just after the rail budget day, the Metro staff were probably taking it easy. The airconditioning was started and the announcement (and the display) got corrected at Central station (The 7th station from Dum Dum).

To be fair, I’ve boarded an AC rake a couple of times in the past. The airconditioning works fine, and coupled with the new design, the experience was cool.

As summer approaches, the crowd for AC metro is set to rise a lot this year. It’s high time the snags are rectified, else it can give vent to passenger dissent in a major outburst. Till it is smoothly operated, running the rakes in off-peak hours may not be a bad idea.

Srabanti and Ananya - most searched on KC

Srabanti (Picture on top) tops as the most-searched celebrity on Kolkata Curry, closely followed by Ananya Chatterjee (Picture above), as the blog traffic analysis by Blogger.com shows! And it's happening for the last few months. A true reflection of how their work is working for them in the popularity charts.

Bangla avatars of national shows

Looks like it's the season of Bangla avatars of reality shows on national television. After Challenge Nibi Na, a show apparently inspired by Desi Girl that was aired on NDTV Imagine, being produced by Kaustuv Roy of RP Techvision and Bangla Talkies and currently being shot in a village in Bolpur, Venkatesh Films announced its forthcoming reality show on Star Jalsha, having seemingly taken inspirtaion from Iss Jungle Se Mujhe Bachao, which was aired on Sony Entertainment Television, on Facebook today.

Challenge Nibi Na will feature celebrities like Swastika Mukherjee, Arindam Sil, Rimjhim Mitra, Sohini Pal, Kanchan Mullick among others. It will engage the celebrity participants in various rustic games and tasks (incl. ploughing) for a good number of days, totally cut off from their familiar urban life.

The Venkatesh show will challenge the participants, this time it's common people, to survive 1000 hours in a jungle. Those interested can call 9062428521 to register.

It's hot on Bangla reality television now. Looking forward to more interesting bits on the shows and more.

Storm over the mystery pages

The extra-sensational story by Indranil Roy on Patrika (the Saturday supplement of Ananda Bazar Patrika) on 5th February has surely made the audience of Bangla meaningful cinema sit up and take notice, especially those who watched and liked Autograph. The story clearly hints at a suspicious resemblance of the script of Srijit’s new film, a thriller about a serial killer, to a script penned by noted film journalist Pratim D Gupta.

Those who follow Pratim may know about his script-writing, and an aspiration to make films one day. As per the story in Patrika Pratim penned a similar script years back and have been trying to make it into a film thereafter. In his script the killer’s victims are from the film industry. Pratim had even spoken to Rituparno Ghosh long back to make him act in a character from the film industry. As per Indranil’s story Rituparno noticed the similarities between the scripts after he heard Srijit’s. Prosenjit is playing one of the lead characters, of a police officer, in Srijit’s film. And he is one who has heard both scripts. He reportedly denied hearing Pratim’s script in full and maintained that he didn’t notice any similarity between Srijit’s script and whatever he heard from Pratim’s.

Pratim is obviously hurt, and refused a patch-up appeal from Srijit over phone. He might contemplate legal action if it is true that it’s his script that Srijit is going to film, despite clever changes as reported. The story also informs that one of such changes was shifting the victims from the film industry to the world of music, and Anjan Dutta was approached by Srijit to play such a character, but he refused because of the controversy.

The action has obviously spread to Facebook, where Roopa Ganguly has put up a sarcastic remark on her wall and rubbished the story in Patrika in Srijit’s favour, and also wondered how without proper evidence such a story can come up in a paper of Ananda Bazar Patrika’s repute. Srijit has commented in response to to his fan’s comments on the social networking site that he will take his stance when it’s time. Pratim has poured in his heart about his dream script having got hijacked by someone. Director Aniket Chattopadhyay, basking in the glory of ‘Bye Bye Bankok’, his January ’11 success, has pledged his support to Pratim.

Will be keen to follow the developments, and keep you posted. Watch this space.

Cholo Paltai

Came across this promo of Chalo Paltai on Facebook. It's an under-production film from Venkatesh Films, directed by Haranath Chakraborty, starring Prosenjit and Mouli Ganguly, besides child actors Tathoi and a new boy. The music is by Anupam Roy of Autograph fame. Apparently the theme is today's education system and how it prevents students from pursuing their non-academic dreams and aspirations. Prosenjit plays the father of a young boy who dreams of becoming a successful cricketer. Though the film seems to be addressing the masses in terms of script and storytelling, the plot is indeed refreshing and contemporary. Will look forward to this film, releasing March.

'Ranga alur puli'

Albeit late, was fortunate to taste the season's first yummy puli (The dessert prepared at this time of the year at Bengali homes) today. It was Ranga alur puli (See picture), a distinct, syrupy variant of the famous puli, made of sweet potato (Ranga alu) brought in by boss (Cooked by his mother) to indulge his team in the office. To put it simply, as I shared with the colleagues too, no one can eat just one. I ate two and restrained myself from going for more.

The Jan Ahaar experience

Checked out the revamped cafeteria renamed Jan Ahaar at Sealdah station today for breakfast. I was curious for long to see the menu and the food at promised low prices for the masses. The breakfast menu has veg sandwich, aloo vada, sada dosa, masala dosa, veg and non-veg breakfast combos etc. The lunch menu has vegetable chowmein with Schezwan sauce, plain rice options in veg and non-veg (fish and chicken) combos and regular beverages. The overall prices are cheap. The environment is clean and sports a contemporary design. It operates on self-service.

Tried the  vegetable chowmein with Schezwan sauce. At Rs 19 the portion size was okay, so was the taste. Liked the sauce. The decent-sized masala dosa, with the right quantity of sambhar and chutney comes at Rs 14 only. Will have to try it next. Wish to come back once in a while for a hygienic and comfortable evening refreshment.

Raima and diet

Came across this interesting photo tweet from Raima Sen! In line with her self-description on her Twitter profile that includes 'Foodie' and past confession on her undying love for food (that includes junk food with a capital 'J') and refusal to go on a diet, rather working off the excess.

'Pithe' and Dev

Yesterday and today are special days in the calendar for making two of Bengali's favourite desserts : Pithe and Puli. An interesting tweet from Dev says he loves 'Pitha', but unfortunately there's nobody around to make it for him now. Anybody who wishes to volunteer are welcome and the stuff is to be dispatched to his South City flat.

So all Dev fans reading this, get into action! You know how to impress your matinee idol. Girls specially, as the act will be more credible!

Bite and cry

It's a tough time. The weather is biting and onions are making people cry. This winter is hitting the Kolkatans (Not familiar with the temperature touching 10 degrees and intending to dip further) below the belt. And the onion price is throwing a tough challenge for the daily shopper to keep within the budget. The kitchen queens are forced to innovate. Onions are vanishing from mashla muri, alu kabli, rolls. Piyaji, a favoured delicacy in such cold days, is getting discouragingly smaller.

Fab 2010

The Japanese Wife, Byomkesh Bakshi, Shukno Lanka, Autograph, Moner Manush, Gorosthane Sabdhan....and finally a brilliant Arekti Premer Golpo to wind up 2010. The year was peppered with cinema that delighted sensible audience. Teens to octogenarians visited thetares, including many who returned after a long hiatus.

Though their success may not be worth writing home about, Abohoman, Mahanagar@Kolkata, Clerk, 033, Natobor Not Out, Banshiwala and Sthaniya Sangbad impressed many. And the first two made us proud again with national awards that we kept on counting.

Priya Cinema, which always successfully balances between Bollywood and Tollygunge in its 5-6 shows a day, couldn't accomodate any Hindi movie since November, such was the number and box office wonder of the Bengali releases. And Arijit Dutta, owner of the largest single-screen theatre chain in Bengal with Priya Cinema as the flagship, is not complaining.

2010 was easily the best year for Bangla alternative cinema in a long, long time. Both in terms of content, genre and box office success.

Mainstream did well as usual, with successes like Balo Na Tumi Amaar, Wanted, Amanush, Le Chhakka, Josh, Dui Prithibi, Kellafate and Sedin Dekha Hoyechhilo which did a superb finishing job in December. Le Chhakka and Dui Prithibi, both by Raj Chakraborty, one of the top league names, brought in a whiff of freshness.

2011 looks set to take off from where 2010 left, with Bedeni, Iti Mrinalini, Bye Bye Bangkok and Takhan Teish hitting the screens back to back in January and many more interesting stuff in the pipeline.

RIP Suchitra Mitra

She is no more. It's end of an era. We have grown up equating her name with Rabindrasangeet and have always been in awe of her voice and dignified appearance.

The picture shows her (right) with her friend and another legendary Rabindrasangeet singer Kanika Bandopadhyay, who passed away in 2000.

(Photograph sourced from Suchitra Mitra fan page in Facebook)