The annual dining out

We all knew the annual dining out from office is going to score a hat trick at Barbeque Nation. But it changed to Flame n Grill- the place where we first relished almost an entire meal with starters (unlimited kebabs, that is!).We are going to Flame n Grill Mani Square this year in the last week of December as our annual ritual, the day we keenly look forward to throughout the year.

Asked for an opinion, I voted for Flame n Grill, though I love BBQ Nation a lot. Here's why: 1. FNG's fish kebab has an edge over the one BBQ N's, and 2. FNG beats BBQ N in frequency of service (at least that has been the experience twice at the now non-existent Flame N Grill Park Street).

Jatiswar: the poster on social media

Liked this poster in the Facebook community of Jatiswar (the Srijit Mukherjee film slated for a 20^th December release) and made it the wallpaper of my workstation, something I am habituated to. It drew attention of a few younger colleagues, who were unanimous that Prosenjit was looking impressive and convincing as a European. I agree. Shared a brief of the movie to the curious audience.

Ashchorjyo Prodip: a micro take

Loved Ashchorjyo Prodip. Compact and precise, with an optimum length of two hours. Well made in all departments, with good performances lead by the superb Saswata as protagonist (This proves his mettle yet again as a dependable leading man, given the right role).

Anik has evolved from Bhooter Bhobishyot, as was expected of him (Considering the film could be better in some aspects). He can now be counted among the best in Tollygunge.

Not only one can relate to it, it does make one think and look back at life.

Audience has also lapped up the film as evident in leading plexes holding on to four shows in third week, including three in prime time.

Hoping to come up with a full-fledged review.

Ashchorjyo Prodeep: the poster

Liked the just revealed poster of Ashchorjyo Prodeep, after the interesting teaser, shared in an earlier post (click here to read). It's Anik Dutta's next, set for a November release, after the landmark success of Bhooter Bhobishyot in 2012, and is a 'Story of a modern day Aladdin, set against the backdrop of contemporary consumer society' as the makers are putting it.

Pujo 2013

It was a washed out Nabami evening (13.10.13), but it couldn't do much to puncture the pandal-hopping spirit of Kolkatans! Went to south Kolkata proper with family and regretted it because of the awful weather. But came back with memories of some very creative Pujas, where Badamtala Ashar Sangha tops the list.

Here's some Pujo moments captured by friends:

Sreebhumi Sporting Club (Photo: Sanchayan Ghosh)

Not for the Tanishq jewellery reportedly worth crores on display, it's the sheer beauty of the idol and the overall presentation that gets a thumbs up. Worth the wait of more than half an hour (on Ashtami, 12.10.13) at countless points to the pandal.

Outside a pandal (Photo: Sanchayan Ghosh)

Tridhara Sammilani (Photo: Sanchayan Ghosh)

Pandal ceiling (Photo: Sanchayan Ghosh)

Optical magic at Badamtala Ashar Shangha  (Photo: Sanchayan Ghosh)

The gastronomic side: Prawn batter fry and fish fry at Maddox Square
 (Photo: Rana Basu Thakur)

Mishawr Rawhoshyo: the take

I read the novel long back in the Anandamela Puja number. I don't remember the story. A cine file friend said that it was not the kind of Kakababu story to be filmed.

Well, after watching the keenly awaited Mishawr Rawhoshyo, I do agree with him. It is one of the reasons why the movie lacks pace, especially in the first half. The length of 2 hours and 30 minutes could be shorter by at least 20 minutes.

Kakababu looks and conducts himself the way he should, in 2013. He uses tablet PC, high end mobile phone and tweets, all convincingly. Prosenjit looks good in the contemporary get-up. Only the hair colour, I felt, didn't gel with the persona of Kakababu. If covering grey hair was the reason for the character, I would say that Raja Roychoudhury would have looked better with salt n pepper hair.

Prosenjit, acting-wise, is decent in most parts, especially the silent moments. His Kakababu is smart yes, and has the right dose of gravity, bu talks a little too much for effect and reacts (verbally) a little sooner, often resulting in not getting the comic timing right. The cerebrality of Kakababu could've been better developed.

I couldn't like Devdan's Santu, one of the key reasons being his affected Bengali accent. The age (on the higher side), is fine, but all the contemporary changes are not convincing. The innocence is missing too.

The songs are mostly forced, though well-written, composed and sung. The Delhi song was unnecessary. The fast motion used in showcasing Delhi also didn't work.

The movie has been shot well. The visual design, especially in the Egypt portion, is outstanding. It doesn't feel like a Bengali movie at all in this portion.

The brand placements are fine, but Amez tea is Hani Alkadi's favourite Darjeeling tea!!

One of the high points of the movie is Indraneil. His Hani Alkadi, physically and vocally, with the ruthlessness and conviction, is spot on. And he outdoes Prosenjit, to be honest. The characterization demanded an actor like him and he does full justice to it. What also deserves a mention is weaving in his character in the current political scenario of Egypt.

Definitely a watch for all the Kakababu fans, but do set your expectation at a moderate level.

Mishawr Rawhoshyo: Coundown begins

The trailer is impressive, as I have mentioned before. And now as the promotion is rolling, with less than three weeks before it hits the screen- the ABP Ananda chat show with Srijit and Prosenjit, music launch on the grand platform of celebration of Prosenjit's 30 years in the industry and the first posters dotting the city- all eyes, of Kakababu fans and others, are on the Saptami release. Here's the trailer. Would love to know your thoughts.

A teaser

Liked this teaser on Facebook. Any guess what it is about?

The new offering from Monginis

Monginis has a new addition to its menu- Baked Pudding. Visited the outlet at Bentinck Street yesterday, that I often go to, and spotted it in the shelf of savouries. Only a few pieces were left and a customer recommended it to his companion while having one. After finishing my favourite fish envelope (which has made a comeback after its recent replacement with fish manchurian, which didn't taste success), I got it to round off the evening snacking on a sweet note.

Loved the taste. Tasty pudding topped with cashew and raisins. Finished it in tiny bites, relishing every grain. And then packed the last two left for boss and a colleague. A filling size just at Rs 20!

I simply love pudding, and getting it off the shelves in a chain like Monginis that's never too far from you, is just wonderful. Would definitely like an encore soon.

Kolkata Titbits 0003

• Loved the khichuri with beguni and papad that the boss, in an exceptional rainy day mood treated to in lunch. It was brought from a high-selling street-side stall on GC Avenue. Had this street delicacy after ages, and loved every bit of it. All this comes at just Rs 18! Incredible!
• Going by the rains today, won't wonder if I see/ get to hear about people travelling by boats on the roads tomorrow. Boss is warning for some time to pack up. So...

Kolkata Titbits 0002

• As Boss ended the first week on 15th August with a whooping Rs 3.2 cr (as per Reliance, the producer), it was interesting to follow an exchange on Twitter between Reliance, Rana Sarkar (its production partner for some of its Bengali productions) and Venkatesh Films- the biggest production house in Tollygunge- on whether this is the biggest first week collection in the history of Bengali cinema as claimed by the producer.The challenger claimed that it's their Challenge 2 which is the biggest so far with 3.8 cr, followed by Paglu (3.6 cr) and Dui Prithibi (3.5 cr, also from their house). The jury is still out on it.
• It was a delight to see Lake Mall opening after a painful wait of 8 years, on 14th August. At times I thought whether it would ever see the light of the day in 10 years or so. It is the first PPP venture of KMC in markets that matured (The others being the 'partially opened' Barnaparichay in place of College Street Market, Lansdowne Market and the aborted Park Circus Market). Among mentionable brands it has a Big Bazaar (so proper south Kolkata finally got one!). And a multiplex- Sun Cinema- is starting around this November (giving the close by Priya some competition). For people in the area so far the nearest quality multiplex was at South City Mall. It will be interesting to see how the big brother of single screen- Priya - takes on the competition.

First look: Mishawr Rawhoshyo

The first look of the eagerly awaited Santu-Kakababu movie made by Srijit Mukherji was revealed earlier this month. It instantly took me back to my teenage when I would wait for the Sharodiya Anandamela, especially for the new Santu-Kakababu novel by Sunil Gangopadhyay. The illustrations by Subrata Gangopadhyay would enrich the reading experience. The cretaive has been done precisely in that style to bring back that nostalgic feel. The teaser design, with no mention of Kakababu, and only his crutch showing is interesting indeed. I even tweeted my thought on the first look to Srijit, who retweeted it.

Mishawr Rawhoshyo is one of my favourite Santu-Kakababu stories. The setting in Egypt is its key attraction (which probably made Srijit pick it as the first among the three novels he wishes to film, with the other two set in jungle and hills respectively). 

The trailer, released on Sangeet Bangla later stoked the fire. It gave the real feel of the fascinating adventure in the land of pyramid. The film has indeed been mounted on a huge canvas, and look-wise compares with a Hollywood adventure. Indraneil is playing the sinister Hani Alkadi, with a bald and clean-shaven look. Prosenjit looked perfect as Kakababu (and the best so far, compared to Samit Bhanja in Sobuj Dwiper Raja and Sabyasachi Chakraborty in telefilms). He has the right age to play this legendary character, which is a hot favourite of Bengalis, besides Feluda and Byomkesh. Santu has been played by Devdan, who is a known face on television and was Prosenjit’s son in Chawlo Paltai.

Needless to say, I am following the run-up to this Puja release. Hope to come back here with more on it. 

Kolkata Titbits 0001

Here's my way to microblog, forced by my consistent failure to find time to blog, and the fact that I wanted to do it on KC, and not on Twitter. Shall try and make proper posts intermittently.

• Jeet's Boss opened big at box office last Friday (8th August, '13). It  collected Rs 72.5 lakh to beat Dev's Khoka 420 (70 lakh) released two months back to set the record of highest first day collection for a Bengali movie. Dev's Challenge (2009) stands third with 68.5 lakh. So Jeet's now one up on his biggest rival and Tollygunge has some hot numbers to discuss.
• Arsalan is finally opening in north Kolkata proper. After coming across a lot of speculation among colleagues, now I know the location is reportedly Fariapukur (Left, facing Sutanuti Junction). Learnt that the space is big and can be expanded later. Looks like it is set to rewrite biriyani history in north before this Puja.

The chocolate brownie in the train

Am travelling to Patna now. With boss and client. Since the train we are boarding (Danapur Express) doesn't offer neither a pantry nor picked up dinner, we helped ourselves packing food from the food plaza at old Howrah station. As I stood in a long queue at the coupon counter to pack 'anything I like' for us three, boss decided for sandwiches as that had a different counter bang opposite mine and had no customers. I love sandwiches. So I quickly decided for my variety (grilled cheese chicken sandwich) and was quickly told by the counter guy that it wasn't available. So the only option was to go for boss' choice- chicken mayonnaise sandwich (a reasonable Rs 45).  It was then that we noticed this new addition to the Monginis counter (from where we picked up the sandwich)- choco walnut brownie. Boss wanted that and I too was pretty eager to try it out.

The brownie turned out to be the highpoint of the dinner. Since the client finished food first (We shared the sandwiches and he shared home-cooked chowmein-chilli chicken), I offered him the brownie. It was he who spoke of it first, how he liked the mud cake like texture, the taste and the size (Pretty big for Rs 30, a familiar trait of Monginis). I took my habitual small bites off it once I was through with the 'main course' (The sandwich was good too).......and loved it. I silently agreed to the client on the mudcake bit- it was gooey indeed, rich and tasty. It was heavy too and made my otherwise light dinner well-rounded. Overall, the walnut-topped brownie was a pleasing experience (So much so that it brought me back to blogging).

The confectionery buffs will not probably keep Monginis' confectionery products up the ranks. But there can probably be little dispute that Monginis is the red hot favourite of the middle and upper middle class. Even those who don't like its confectionery will probably swear by it when it comes to a colleague's birthday. Well, I am pretty much a savoury person and hardly stand before the cake and pastry shelf in a Monginis shop. However I too agree that they don't do a wonderful job in pastries. But their products are decent and unmistakably deliver what it takes to hook its target customers- value for money. And this, over the decades, has been one of the keys to Monginis' success, as much as it is the constant additions and deletions in the menu. It always wants to offer its customers something new, better or both.

Monginis of late is adding items from the premium confectionery range- like chocolate mousse. The brownie is a continuation of that. I guess I will see this brownie in the shelf next time I am in the store at Bentinck Street, which I frequent from office. And yes, in terms of understanding the palate of the middle class, I find them spot on with this. It should score with their customers over any dry and crisp brownie (without undermining the one like that in Just Baked, I love it too!). But one would have to be in the right mood for having that kind. The Monginis kind suits the mood more easily. And yes, its also precisely double the size of the one in Just Baked, which costs Rs 35.

The likely challenger

Looks like someone is on the rise to reach the highest sphere in Bengali cinema. And no prizes for guessing the name. Yes, finally Saswata Chattopadhyay seems to reach where he deserves to be - the league of lead actors in Bangla cinema - the space currently ruled by Prosenjit. In fact, he will be a challenger to the numero uno. There's a condition here but. C/o Sir, his yesterday release, where he plays the title role, needs to score high at the box office, following the footsteps of the huge applaud that his performance in the lead role in his last release Meghe Dhaka Tara  is generating.

That he is an actor of outstanding capability was not in doubt for some years now. But he was always meant to shine in a 'character role'. His 'Bob Biswas' in Kahaani changed all this, helped by his 'Haathkata Kartick' act that lit up the second half of the 2012 blockbuster Bhooter Bhobishyot. Around that time (or a little while ago) he was being considered for the lead roles thanks to years of consistent good work, that started with Bong Connection in 2006.

Besides C/o Sir and Meghe Dhaka Tara, he will be seen as the leading man in Anik Dutta's (of Bhooter Bhobishyot fame) Ashchorjyo Prodip, a satire on today's consumerist society (which, I have a hunch, will pay a tribute to Parash Pathar by Satyajit Ray, who has an ardent admirer in Dutta). And his portrayal of a police officer in Raj Chakraborty's eagerly awaited Proloy is also likely to consolidate his position as a truly versatile actor.

Saswata doesn't have the screen presence of Prosenjit, or the youthfulness of Parambrata, who is also doing the lead roles (thanks to Kahaani and Bhooter Bhobishyot again). Nevertheless he can rule the screen, on the sheer merit of his acting prowess. And if he finally reaches the top league, given the right opportunities, he will stay there for years.

Nolen Gur-er Mishti Festival

Looking forward to visit the Nolen Gur-er Mishti Festival - the first of its kind sweets event organized by The Telegraph, to be held at City Centre Salt Lake kund area today and tomorrow. Big names Nakur Chandra Nandy, Sen Mahasay, Ganguram, Balaram Mullick, Gupta Brothers, along with Nalin Chandra Das, Hindustan Sweets and Surya Kumar Modak from Chandannagar will be selling their mouth-watering range of nolen gur-er mishti - the favourite seasonal variety. A bonus comes in the form of Rollick and Fresh & Naturelle who will be present with their innovative nolen gur-er ice cream. There's no entry fee. Kolkatans with a sweet tooth, take a note. 

A quick update: The festival has taken a rocking start (3.00 pm, 12.1.13)! Scores of visitors are coming in.

Review: Maach, Mishti & More

Cast: Soumitra Chatterjee, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Raima Sen, Swastika Mukherjee, Parno Mittra, Shauvik Kundagrami, Rachita Chauhan, Anubrata Basu, Pamela Singh Bhutoria, Neha Panda, Pradip Mukhopadhyay and Anuradha Roy

Director: Mainak Bhaumik

The opening credits unfold with sketches of Kolkata, setting the mood for a light-hearted, enjoyable two hours with your popcorn. Maach, Mishti & More is a mint fresh urban romantic comedy set in the cosmopolitan Kolkata. Mainak’s third film tells the tale of the trials and tribulations in the relationships of three brothers in a joint family in an old house.

The eldest, Rahul (Shauvik), is an NRI based in US who chucks his high-paying corporate career to come back to his city with the dream to start his own restaurant (‘To cook for others’ in his mother’s words). Rony, the middle one (Parambrata), is doing well in a corporate job, earns handsomely, and struggles to meet expectations of his Marwari girlfriend (Rachita) from a rich family. Raju, or Raj, the third one (Anubrata), is a struggling actor who dreams of his big break in Bollywood. All of them love to spend time with their ‘Dadu’ (Soumitra), who believes in living life on his own terms and is at ease dealing with gen Y (He goes to his morning walk in cool roundneck tees). While Rahul and Raj are sorted out in their personal lives - Rahul has a settled and routine life with Rina, his wife of three years (Swastika), and Raj doesn’t date a girl for long - Rony is the confused soul. He is in love with Swati but not sure of committing to marriage. Each of them happens to meet a new girl and life takes a turn from that point. Rahul comes across June (Pamela), his friend’s colleague, who helps him in setting up his business. Rony bumps into Ishani (Raima), his college mate, now a yoga & reiki teacher and Raj meets Neha (Neha), with who his past two encounters were unpalatable, in a meeting set up by his mother to help her son in his career. Meanwhile Dadu meets Sunny, a college-going tomboy (Parno) in the local tea shop and helps him sort out her love life.

What is refreshing to see is that the women in Mainak’s film are , in varying degrees, confident, liberated, unapologetic for the right reasons and take their own decisions, yet are true to their feminine selves. The men are overshadowed by these stronger women, which reflects the changing equation of modern urban society.  Mainak takes a look at the idiosyncrasies of the Bengali and never stops short of having a hearty laugh at it. In the same spirit the film shows a young girl lighting up in the middle of the conversation with someone her grandfather’s age or a homemaker sharing a fag with her much younger brother-in-law. Going ahead, it treats the death after a life well lived with a song, rather than the familiar background score. Some moments of the film did remind me of Aamra – Mainak’s debut film.

The performances elevate the film, helped by apt casting, and taut script and dialogue by Mainak (with additional writing by Pratim D. Gupta, the maker of the last Puja release Paanch Adhyay. Everyone fits the bill for his / her part. Soumitra is superb as the old man of the family rediscovering life in his city of love. I have always wondered why none offered an actor of his calibre a role like this, breaking out of the stereotype he has been forced in. Neha (also one of the stylists in this film) is impressive as the kickass Neha driving bike with Raj riding pillion. Swastika is good as the bored wife thanks to an ever busy husband, and disgusted by the middle class practices in her in-law’s family on return from abroad, yet making an effort to win over her husband from the other woman. Though Anubrata is the natural choice for his role, he is just rocking as Raj representing gen Y. His telephonic conversation with a prospective landlord in a coffee shop is uproariously funny. The three leading men show fabulous comic timing. Ajopa Mukhpadhyay, the other stylist of the film, also shone in the small role as sister to her real life sister Swastika. Neha and Ajopa have done an equally good job in styling. Shauvik’s accent sounded a little too heavy though. And I wish Anuradha Roy (the mother) was given a better wig.

The sepia frames lovingly embrace the different parts of the old and the new Kolkata. They are perfectly complimented by the well-worded songs (by Srijit, Rituparno and others) put to hummable tunes by Neel Dutt and sung by Rupankar, Somlata and Timir among others. The title track, the one with Param-Raima and one with Anubrata-Neha are particularly good. Supriyo Datta has done a good job behind the camera. The editing job could be better though, the cuts in some scenes look a bit rushed.

There are minor glitches, like Sunny’s character could have been fleshed out a bit more to lend it a credibility that it lacks or the mother’s shock at her son’s return from abroad to pursue that silly dream being too mild. Rony’s frequently walking into Ishani’s ongoing classes and starting a very personal conversation also looks odd. But one is still able to set aside all this once out of the theatre thanks to the overall feel good factor.

Mainak said in his Calcutta Times pre-release interview that he sincerely believes he is a mediocre director who has a shitload of interesting stories to tell. Well, Maach, Mishti & More is indeed an interesting story, but it’s no mediocre work either. In fact, this is the best from Mainak. Go for it!

Bengali releases to look forward to

The Bengali releases that I would like to watch / keep an eye on in this year is: Ashchorjyo Prodip by Anik Dutta, Meghe Dhaka Tara by Kamaleshwar Mukhopadhyay, Room No. 103 and Mahapurush O Kapurush by Aniket Chattopadhyay, Chorabali by Rituparno Ghosh, Hanuman.com by Gaurav Pandey, Goynar Baksho by Aparna Sen, Mishar Rahasya by Srijit Mukherjee, Aleek Sukh by Shiboprosad Mukhopadhyay-Nandita Roy, Ganesh Talkies by Anjan Dutta, Abhishopto Nighty by Birsa Dasgupta, C/o Sir by Kaushik Ganguly and Kanamachhi and Praloy by Raj Chakaborty. The genres in the list have an amazing variety.

Special mention goes to Meghe Dhaka Tara – I’m extremely curious to watch Kamaleshwar’s take on Ritwik Ghatak’s life, Mishar Rahasya- Srijit’s take on the iconic Kakababu, Chorabali - Rituparno’s fresh take on Byomkesh Bakshi and Praloy- Raj’s take on the late Barun Biswas- the idealistic teacher known for his collective protest against the gang rapes in Sutia.

'Loi Krathong' at Benjarong

It was indeed an interesting bit of news from Benjarong - the premier fine dining Thai cuisine restaurant at South City Mall - that Diwali - our festival of lights has a parallel in Thailand - known as Loi Krathong! What added to it was that keeping the celebration of Loi Krathong, Benjarong put together a food festival from 27th November to 9th December, 2012.

Loi Krathong borrows its name from the words ‘loi’ that means to float, and ‘krathong’ that stands for small baskets or rafts. The traditional 'krathongs', made from banana leaves, contain incense, lotus flowers and candles, which are lit and set to float in water as a ritual during this festival. It is believed that the krathong carries away bad luck and signals a fresh start while people make wishes as their krathongs float away. Benjarong organised  for its guests to float krathongs in large vessels after making a wish to connect with the festival.  

As I didn't have an exposure to the Thai cuisine, I was curious to experience it.

In the presence of some fellow bloggers, the appetizers rolled out in the evening, starting with soup. It just hit the right note with my palate. The thin soup with pieces of chicken, mushroom and spinach omelette was balanced in taste. The pieces of the spinach omelette particularly appealed to me. The soup was followed by Pla Hor Baitaey, which is delicately marinated, dip fried fish wrapped in pandanus leaves - somewhat similar to 'paturi' of Bengali cuisine in look. Loved the tiny, bite-size pieces of crunchy fish with a creamy softness inside. It was served with a transparent-looking sweet chilli sauce. Didn't mind a few helpings. Along with it came Look Chin Gai Ping - grilled minced chicken balls in bamboo skewer served with a dip. It had a fine taste, unlike the spicy kind. 

The soup

Pla Hor Baitaey

Look Chin Gai Ping

The main course started with glass noodles (transparent-looking noodles with vegetables) and steamed rice to go with Burmese Curry and lamb (curry) with hot basil sauce. The Burmese Curry was a sweetish chicken curry, cooked in coconut milk. It's a dish from south Burma and south Thailand, typical of this time of the year. Tried it with the rice. I suppose a dish like this calls for an acquired taste as it didn't exactly appeal to my palate. I had assumed it to be rather spicy. The lamb curry (it had basil leaves in it) was likable. A thumbs up to the glass noodles. Its taste had an edge over regular noodles.

Burmese Curry

The dessert was Khao Niew Sankhaya - a sweetened sticky rice served with coconut custard, made with jaggery. Ended up liking the coconut custard more, as the jaggery helped relate to the famous Bengali desserts of this season.

Overall, a food festival that offered one a peek at the variety of dishes that people in Thailand typically have at this time of the year, as they celebrate Loi Krathong. It would particularly appeal to Thai cuisine aficionados in the city who constantly look for variety. If you have a thing for Thai food, do remember to block a date for Benjarong the time you come to know about their next food festival.

'Bhooter Bhobishyot' - a brief take

Here goes my wall post on Bhooter Bhobishyot on Facebook:

'Bhooter Bhobishyot' is witty, hilarious, a fresh concept and a nice tribute to the Ray brand of humour. Has some super one liners. Go for it!

Would like to add, Paran Bandopadhyay is superb and Saswata Chatterjee lights up the second half as Haat-kata Kartick (once again after his outstanding 'Bob Biswas' in Kahaani).

Wish the film all the very best!

The 'Kahaani' BO magic

Bidya’s BO magic

Loved to read this article in today's Telegraph about Kahaani's rare box office magic in Kolkata and Bengal! Cheers to Sujoy Ghosh & Co. & the entire cast (Specially the Kolkata actors) to make it happen with a shot-in-Kolkata film with a majorly Kolkata cast and a crew partially from the city. Kahaani magic is largely Kolkata magic as well!

Kolkata random 2

by Shreyas Surya DasGupta

Loved this surreal shot by a friend who loves shooting the city in its various moods and moments. Showing a slice of Kolkata 'adda' (The legendary 'chat' by Bengalis) among some senior citizens.

Bhooter Bhobishyot : Srijit's take

Here's Srijit Mukherjee's oven fresh view on Bhooter Bhobishyot on his Facebook wall :

In Tollygunge, we might not have lavish budgets, infinite timelines, never-ending resources and enviable infrastructure, but we do have fantastic actors, superb technicians and most importantly...an incredible storytelling bug. For a milestone comedy cum satire, and one of the wittiest scripts in the recent times, watch Bhooter Bhobishyot!!

The curiosity to check out the new release is on accelerator mode now!

Bhooter Bhobishyot : TOI rating

The Bhooter Bhobishyot poster

Bhooter Bhobishyot gets a **** rating in the Times of India review today. Am all the more keen to check it out at the earliest. Some audience feedback will be fine.

Kahaani : a brief take

In a hurry, but can't help sharing my view on Kahaani briefly. Saw it yesterday. So, here goes my Facebook wall post on the same, slightly edited: 

Kahaani is the Kolkata film made in Hindi that finally hits the bull's eye (after failed attempts like Yuva and Raincoat, and Anjan Dutt's BBD that unfortunately never made it to theatre screens). Highly recommended for all Kolkatans and non-resident Kolkatans and all others who love a story-driven, smartly-made film rich with performances. Sujoy & Co., Vidya and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, you rocked! And proud of you - Param, Kharaj, Shantilal and all other actors from Kolkata. Loved to see Indraneil too, who's more of a Kolkata actor now.

Hope to post a complete review. Watch this space.

The 'Kahaani' we are loving to watch

Couldn't resist this one. Just couldn't. Kahaani has been increasingly generating unprecedented buzz in the city since its last Friday release. Nationally too, I learn, the scene is no different. Predictably so, as Kolkata is not a backdrop, but a well-etched lead character in the film, besides Vidya Balan (Or would 'Bidya' Balan be in the right spirit?). The strong reviews, feedback from friends and colleagues.... all are tempting me to catch it ASAP and post something here. Oh... at last a film with Kolkata featuring prominently in it scores with audience (Didn't like Yuva, the last example of such a film that comes to my mind).

The 'neutral' police administration

It was good to know that the arrogant and foul-mouthed youngster Akash Banerjee was finally arrested in an unusual climax of a not-so-uncommon road drama where he and his friends in a car violated traffic rules yesterday, then abused and assaulted a traffic constable and shoved the traffic police inspector on duty while dropping the name of his famous aunt (father's sister) - none other than the CM of the state - Mamata Banerjee and threatening with grim consequences.

It was great to know that the arrest was at the behest of none other than the CM who was on visit to Darjeeling, and showed good governance in a quick, exemplary action (Though this must be noted that that media had raised its voice about the incident by then). It was indeed a new and welcome experience for people of the state.

But a question remains. Is this the 'neutral' police administration that the CM promised after she took the charge? She has the moral duty to answer (Especially since she heads the home ministry) what precisely led the police to let the brat and his gang walk out of the police station scot-free initially?

Bhooter Bhobishyot - a sneak peek

Loved this funny and witty 'official' sneak peek of Bhooter Bhobishyot - the long-awaited debut film of city-based adman-turned-director Aneek Dutta. It's a funny ghost story with an eclectic ensemble cast, packaged as a sensible entertainer. Very Bengali and contemporary in feel. Looking forward to catch it when it releases sometime in March.

The 'bandh', the attack and the denial

Handful of buses (public and private put together), empty streets tempting enough to play a game of football, closed shops , low turnout at office marked yesterday's bandh (Officially an 'all-India' industrial strike) in the city.

I condemn the attack on the Anandabazar Patrika reporter Subhashis Ghatak and photographer Pintu Mondal by Trinamool hooligans for they dared to cover their ransacking the CPI(M) zonal office in Jadavpur yesterday! Following the brutal attack that could've turned fatal, a Star Ananda reporter Partha Pratim Ghosh was roughed up.

It was SHOCKING to know that a Kolkata Police constable off duty, named Tarak Das, was a prominent member of the Trinamool gang! He was clearly seen in the day-long coverage of the incident on Star Ananda. He is a real star indeed, for all the wrong reasons.

What added to the shock was that the CM rubbished the incident later on! This marks the hat trick of her denial after the recent Park Street and Katwa rape cases. As everybody knows, she was proved wrong by her own department (Police) as the Park Street case was cracked and a few key accused were arrested shortly by a team led by DC (DD) Damayanti Sen.

Didi, please think before you speak (to the media). Please remember you are a CM first, and a party supremo later. You are clearly testing the patience of the electorate who voted your party to power.

The strike : how will it be this time?

Don't know how tomorrow will unfold. The industrial strike called by trade unions incl. CITU hints at clashes between the ruling party and the opposition in the city, as the Trinamool-led government is hell bent at opposing the strike. Had enjoyed defying the last few strikes (called by left organisations, SUCI etc) and enjoyed being at work. Will have to watch out first this time.

Abar Byomkesh

The Abar Byomkesh poster. The second offering of Anjan Dutt's series on one of Bengali's all-time favourite sleuths is releasing this March.

KC gets the first award!

Well, Liebster Blog Award is actually a token of appreciation presented by fellow bloggers in global blogosphere. My heartfelt gratitude to fellow blogger Panu who thought Kolkata Curry was worth making it to the list of 5 blogs she ‘adores’ and giving the award to.

I am a follower of Panu’s blog Presented by P and love reading her smartly written gastronomic experiences in the city.

Here’s my pick for the Liebster Blog Award:

Chakhori Corner by Sreeparna, Jahnavi, Sohini - a Kolkata food blog that reviews eateries of all kind.
Sakagaze by Anindo Sen – a superbly written personal blog. Great writing on cinema.
Presented by P by Panu
Calcutta Chromosome by Diptakirti Chaudhuri – a personal blog by a non-resident Kolkatan-at-heart.
Bong Pen by Tanmay Mukherjee – a humourous blog in Bengali.

Guys, do claim your award and share it on your blogs. Thanks a ton to each of you for delighting and informing me as a reader. Your blogs have the special quality of making me read them frequently off my limited personal online time. Do keep up the good writing and delight your readers.

Here’s what you have to do to claim the award: Copy and paste the blog award (image) on your blog. Also Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.

You also can
 Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed.
 Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog to check out your award-giving blog post.

Any other blogger who is reading this can do the above too to show the appreciation to the blogs he / she like the most.

Kolkata vintage I

Presenting a selection of pictures I loved from Kanad Sanyal's recent album (Read briefly about him in my second last post Saraswati Puja 2012). The famous Kolkata heritage (Mostly in the north part of the city) was effortlessly captured in his camera while he was out on a weekend trail on the streets of the city he loves.

1. Crossroad at Gossainpara Lane
2. 16 Mohun Banagn Lane
3. At the junction of Kripanath Lane and Shovabazaar Street
4. House of Butto Krishto Paul, the pharamacist at 92B Shovabazaar Street
5. Gossainpara Lane
6. Basu Bati at 65 Baghbazar Street
7. Lohia Maternity Hospital at 296B Rabindra Sarani

The new fbb store

Just noticed that the Pantaloon Shoppe at e-Mall (next to my office building) is closed, and the Future Group has just opened an fbb store (The standalone format stocking the fashion range from Big Bazaar) at the first floor. The fbb store is way bigger than the Shoppe, just had a cursory view from outside. Looking forward to tempting deals from the store.

Saraswati Puja 2012

Glimpses of Saraswati Puja, on 28th January. Captured lovingly by Kanad Sanyal, a photographer by passion and a senior corporate person by profession.

A personal favourite is the shot of four girls. Wearing a basanti-coloured (yellow) cotton saree on this day has been a lovingly preserved custom among girls of all ages till even a few years back. But as Mr Sanyal observed, an invasion of pan-India fashion trends (thanks to daily soaps on national television) is fading it out among adolescent and older girls. I too have spotted this trend in recent years. He loved to see these younger counterparts of theirs holding up the custom in a north Kolkata locality.

The Chinese breakfast

Fulfilled the long-nurtured wish of the Chinese breakfast at Tiretta Bazar. Had read and heard about it enough to take a resolution to sample the fare. This meal is available from early morning till about 8 am, that's what I heard. Hence unless I planned for it or came across an opportunity incidentally, it wouldn't be possible. The latter happened as I went to Howrah station last week to see off my father to Hyderabad. On way back, hopped on to a BBD Bag-bound mini bus and got down at Lalbazar and reached the place in front of Poddar Court, referred to as Tiretta Bazar (Pronounced as 'Teriti Bazar' in Bengali). Walking past it and looking around, I spotted the Chinese selling their almost-legendary stuff on the road.

Tried the meat ball soup. The Chinese woman put two balls and some clear soup from the container with the soup on boil. As I asked for a spoon, the Chinese guy sitting behind directed me to the nearby table placed on the road. Some Chinese youngsters were having the soup on that table standing around it. Joined them and tasted the soup. Liked the spongy meat balls, made of minced chicken. Followed it up with fish dumpling. Both have a fine taste, and are not exactly finger-licking good type. The meat balls tasted better with chili sauce. Enjoyed both. The prices are reasonable. The soup cost Rs 20 and the dumplings Rs 12 each. Momos were also available. Saw another steamed fish preparation called something that sounded 'Fish pao' - a large flat dumpling with minced fish filling. One single piece should be adequately filling for a snack.

Dining at Barbeque Nation

It was a ‘delicious’ conclusion of 2011, thanks to the office lunch at Barbeque Nation, the tandoori speciality restaurant of the well-known national chain at Sector V, Salt Lake on the new year eve. Their offering at the lunch comprises of unlimited kebabs as starters served at individual tables, followed by the main course spread out at the buffet table. The arrangement is the same as Flame n Grill, the tandoori speciality restaurant from the famous Specialty group of Restaurants with chains like Mainland China, Oh Calcutta!, Sigree and others.

Each table has a grill at the centre, which is switched on when guests arrive, whereupon the waiters place the kebab sticks with steaming hot kebabs. One picks them as and when he / she feels like, or turn the stick to avoid burning of the kebabs. There is a flag at each table. The rule is that until a guest puts it down, the waiters will keep refilling the grill.

The non-veg kebabs were Parash Chicken, Sociaty Fish, Pesto Prawns, Lebanese Seek Kebab (Mutton) and Murgh Jeera Tangri (Chicken legs). There’s a complimentary (non-alchoholic) drink too, unlike Flame n Grill (hereafter mentioned as F&G). We chose fresh lime soda. Just like our two office dinner outings at F&G at Park Street, almost all of us in the group kept on gorging the kebabs to the heart’s content, without much of a thought for the main course. In fact many had already decided beforehand to skip it and head straight for the desserts table when they would have had their fill of kebabs.

The kebabs were all yummy and perfectly done. The soft and succulent Sociaty Fish easily topped the charts, closely followed by the juicy Parash Chicken. Taste-wise the kebabs match F&G, only the mutton kebab (Lebanese Seek Kebab) is much better and the fish kebab has a slight edge too. This considering F&G does a really good job with fish kebab. There are six types of not-so-common sauces to go with the kebabs kept on the tables.

The main course was widely laid out with plenty of choices in veg and non-veg, including a variety of salads. After the two F&G experiences where I flew with the tide, I had decided not to go overboard with the kebabs. Now, with limited space in the stomach (How much control can you exercise anyway seeing the kebabs placed before you over and over again?) I first tried the Non-veg Dum Biriyani and the ghosht (a mutton gravy dish), planning to come back later to the Mahi Rezala. The biriyani was good, though not a match to the best in the city (Read Arsalan, Aliah et al). The ghosht was good too. But the rezala put me off royally. Not only that the soup was a mess, they cooked the dish with……..FISH!! And the fish tasted like it was fried not long before being put in the rezala.

At the dessert table a big hit was the hot baby gulab jamuns (slightly larger than kofta balls). Looked like the guys in the group were picking not less than 15 pieces at a time, many topping their ice cream with it. I don’t really have a thing for hot gulab jamun, so it was the firni (in small matkas), a scoop of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and a slice of date walnut cake for me. Wasn’t disappointed. The boss liked the coconut jam cake.

All this at Rs 575 (including taxes)! Value for money indeed for any kebab lover with an average appetite that can take up a reasonable gastronomic challenge.

On service front, F&G has an edge though. The replenishment of the kebabs was a bit slow. The Parash Chicken arrived much later. But you would tend to consider this a minor blemish given the taste of the food, especially the core offering – the kebabs. Barbeque Nation is a definite recommendation.

The new serial novels in Robbar

Loved the two new serial novels by Swapnamoy Chakraborty and Ashok Kumar Mukhopadhyay started in the last issue in Robbar - the complimentary Sunday magazine distributed with Sangbad Pratidin (Read my earlier post No Sunday without Robbar).

Swapnamoy's Holdey Golap starts in 1995 in the AIR office in Kolkata. Aniket, the producer of Health and Science shows, is seriously pondering over letters that regularly come in from remote corners of Bengal bearing sex-related personal queries. He is taking a pathbreaking and one of the boldest ever initiatives to produce a show to address the queries in a place as conservative and archaic as Akashvani.

I like Swapnamoy's writing. He is a leading name among this generation's authors.

Ashok Kumar Mukhopadhyay's Aat-ta Naw-tar Surjyo starts long ago, in 1964, in a village called Joypur, near Mogra in Hooghly district, with the story of a struggling family man - Nibaran Chandra . It has an earthy feel.

Keenly waiting to read the next issue for these two.

You can read the issue online here.

Tandoori Nights on Chakhori Corner

Chakhori Corner: Tandoori Nights (Click to read)

Visited Chakhori Corner - the blog I wrote about a while back (Chakhori Corner - the Kolkata food blog), and came across the latest post on this wonderful restaurant called Tandoori Nights on Hazra Road. The kebab platters are finger-licking good, and a fish kebab platter comprising of ten types of kebab is absolutely unimaginable in a non-5-star set up. It's an understatement to say that the idea itself is great!

Give it a read. You won't be disappointed.

Kolkata random

A breather of a photo post after long. Kolkata as captured (in winter) by young journalist Bidisha Chatterjee. Loved the pictures in her Facebook album Shiter sahor. Bidisha regularly writes in Popcorn, the Friday entertainment pullout of Sangbad Pratidin.

1. Bow Barracks
3. New Market during Christmas
4. Flury's during Christmas
5. Morning at Maidan
6. Morning crickte practice at Maidan
7. Trams in front of Raj Bhawan

The eagerly awaited 'Bedroom' drama

Bedroom games (Click to read)

Loved this kickass two-page coverage of Bedroom in t2. Bedroom - the most eagerly awaited Bengali movie at the moment brings back editor-turned-director Mainak Bhaumik to big screen six long years after his debut in the brilliant Aamra. It flaunts an interesting ensemble cast and a captures a dark, hopelessly honest slice of life, spent in bedroom.

Happy New Year...

Wish all the readers a happy, healthy, professionally and personally fulfilling 2012 with this just unveiled still of Paanch Adhyay - the under-production Bengali film directed by well-known film critic Pratim D Gupta of (of The Telegraph). It's a 'mature love story' (In the director's words as I read in The Telegraph) starring Diya Mirza and Priyanshu Chatterjee. The classily shot photograph reminds me of a famous still from the cult Uttam-Suchitra starrer Saptapadi.

Here's wishing Paanch Adhyay all the best too.

Check out its Facebook page here for regular updates (as promised by Pratim).

'Calcutta Restaurants' Facebook group

Can't wait but write about this hyperactive group on Facebook called Calcutta Restaurants. I discovered this group some months back and reluctantly became a member. Thereafter I began to realise how different it was from the other groups I've been a member of so far.

I dislike many Facebook groups related to a common interest because of their pathetically low activity level. But this one is so refreshingly and excitingly different!

It's a group for the foodies, by the foodies and of the foodies. A foodie member makes a post on his / her food experience, a food picture, a recipe or just a casual post on his / her mood for some particular food or cooking some dish or even shopping for cooking something , or to start a discussion on food. Besides posting images of the dishes the members have at restaurants, the images of dishes they cook are commonly posted. The posts are intensely frequent, and there are super active members who make multiple posts in a day and posts comments to others' posts thus contributing to the ongoing discussion. There are some really thought-provoking discussions one can come across here. The posts are balanced between images and texts. One can get to read some wonderful food experiences, including those by Kaushik Chatterjee, an active member, who is a doctor by profession and a true blue foodie by passion. One more thing I like about the group is that it spans all age groups.

Check out the group here. Would love to know the feedback.

Bawla Baron

Was bowled over by the first song from Aparajita Tumi, Aniruddha Roy Choudhury's upcoming release, on television. Bawla Baron, composed by Shantanu Moitra, written by Anindya Chattopadhyay-Chandril Bhattacharya and sung by Anindya has a beautifully slow pace, has the Anindya-Chandril signature that we loved in Antaheen, and sung in a not-so-Anindyaisque fashion. Shantanu has lived up to the tall expectation after his memorable Antaheen score with this one song at least. Looking forward to the others. The music was released a few days back.

Do share through a comment how you liked the song (Check out the video posted above).

Chicken Roll from Elfin Bar

My foodie eyes had noticed sometime back that Elfin Bar & Restaurant, an old bar on Meredith Street (Near Bentinck Street crossing) frequented by officegoers in CBD had opened a takeaway fast food counter. It mainly sells rolls. Tried its chicken roll the other day. It was better in taste than the ones you get in sundry roll shops around, because of better ingredients, cooking and that it was made with oil instead of vanaspati (which leaves a stickiness on your tongue long after). The prices are regular. The chicken roll cost Rs 20. Would like to come back.

Mutton Handi Kebab at Gypsy

Tried this new dish - Mutton Handi Kebab - at Gypsy - a new restaurant on Chandni Chowk Street (near GC Avenue crossing). I had been craving for some spicy mutton dish for some days, though I had gone there for kebabs. I looked at the photo of the dish once on the menu and ordered it....and didn't regret. It was super yummy!

Mutton Handi Kebab is a spicy and oily dish with small pieces of boneless mutton in very little gravy. At Gypsy they served it with coriander leaves on it. Polished it off with a lachchha paratha, but a naan / butter naan would be a better choice. Priced at Rs 70, it's a tempting deal for any foodie looking for value for money.

Found this picture of handi kebab on the net for putting here as a reference. This was more or less how it looked (Though the dish in the picture is beef).

Gypsy is from the owners of Aminia, the famous Mughlai restaurant at Dharmatala. Kebab seems to be its speciality and it serves them at extremely reasonable prices (within Rs 70-80). It's just a few steps away from Sabir. Am looking forward to try the regular kebabs at Gypsy.

The AMRI Fire

I have little to add on the devastating fire that broke at one of the top and expensive private hospitals (AMRI at Dhakuria) at around 3.30 am that shook the city today. The death toll, rising possibly every hour, reportedly stands at close to 90 now, apparently most of them patients, including many old and immobile. The fire started at the basement and rose up to the second floor.

This is the second biggest fire the city witnessed haplessly after the one at Stephen Court in March 2010!

What I find particularly shocking is that the fire safety of such an advanced institution where people would come to save lives of near and dear ones against hefty expenditure apparently left a lot to be desired! Did they have smoke alarms, I wonder!

As per last update, the CM Mamata Banerjee, who's also the Minister of Health, has cancelled the license of the hospital. Six directors of AMRI (most of them big names in the industry) have been arrested.

This incident has tarnished the goodwill of the AMRI chain (They have another full-fledged hospital in Salt Lake and a newly started maternity and pediatric hospital at Mukundapur on EM Bypass) majorly and the group (Promoted by two leading local business groups - Emami and Shrachi) will have to struggle hard to revive it in the coming years. The healthcare chain expanded remarkably in the last 10 years. Public memory is short in general, but since this is healthcare this nightmare is not going to fade away easily. This incident should also lead to a new benchmark of fire safety standards in private hospitals in Kolkata.

The offenders should receive exemplary punishment in the court of law and the government should leave no stones unturned to do the needful. It's good to know that the CM has vowed the 'harshest punishment possible' for the guilty.

Looking forward to the development that follows.

Two ‘Kachuri’ Experiences

1. Tucked away in Meredith Street, near the Bentinck Street Crossing, is this low-profile, old vegetarian eatery ‘Shivam’s’. It serves a variety of vegetarian fare at down-to-earth prices. It’s my favourite place to eat when I opt for a roti lunch at work and have the time to go out.

Was feeling very hungry post-work last Tuesday evening (the Muharram day). As all the joints I went to were closed, I settled for Shivam’s. Had kachori and alur tarkari (Potato curry). The kachoris were thick and the curry was light, cooked home-style, with less gravy and more potatoes. The curry is markedly different from any other place serving the same food. It was a tasty and filling evening snack with four kachoris (At Rs 16).

Had written about its singara and vegetable chop last year in a tiny post Evening Snacks.

2. This run down telebhaja (Kind of fried Bengali snacks) shop at a dilapidated house at 17 Dixon Lane (Now known as Shahid Sushil Dasgupta Sarani, adjacent to Prachi cinema) is popular for its cheap kachoris. Till two years back or so, it sold kachoris at an unbelievable Re 1 a piece. Went there this morning for kachoris after a long time. The price stands slightly higher at Rs 1.50 a piece now, but the taste is equally good as last time. Keeping with the season, green peas show in the delicious alur tarkari served with the kachori. They also sell jilipi, beguni, alur chop, phuluri, and dhoka among other things.

The Mutton Roll at Anil Saha

When Anil Saha, a businessman experienced in the fast food business opened his roll shop (Named ‘Anil Saha’) next to the extremely popular Kohinoor roll centre in Barrackpore Chiria More in the 90’s, many were apprehensive of its success. It was mostly because of Kohinoor’s popularity.

It didn’t take him long before he proved all wrong with a roaring success. It became one of the hottest roll joints in Barrackpore. It has been one of my favourite local joints since then.

One of its best items is the mutton roll. Full with juicy pieces of soft mutton, cooked in a light gravy (Somewhat home-style), it’s just the way a good mutton roll should be. Making this food is indeed an art that few roll joints even in Kolkata city have mastered. The mutton roll from Anil Saha has been a hot favourite since our student days when it would be considered an occasional indulgence considering the megre pocket money we used to receive from our parents.

Went to the place yesterday with an old friend equally fond of the mutton roll. And we ordered it! And it felt great to experience the same old taste! We felt nostalgic. It costs Rs 35 now, but delivers complete value for money. They make the paratha with white oil, not with vanaspati unlike other roll joints. So there’s no greasy aftertaste caused by vanaspati.

For those interested, it’s located behind Roy Optical which is a well-known optical store right at Chiria More junction, near the island. And anyone around can help with direction.

The toast at Chittababu's Shop

My recent visits to this favourite place after a long gap and savouring their toasts brought me to this post.

There are toasts available in the city (at numerous street shops and small joints) and then there are toasts made at Chittababu’s Shop! I sincerely believe few make toasts as good as Chittababu’s Shop. Crisp and brown at places, with a thin streak of just absorbed butter in the middle and a dash of salt ‘n’ pepper sprinkled over. Umm….pure bliss! This non-descript yet legendary shop at Dacres Lane (at Esplanade East, a few minutes walk from Dharmalata / Esplanade metro station) is the eternal favourite of the large population of local officegoers.

Apart from toasts, the ghughni made at this place is extremely popular and markedly different from the regular stuff you get outside home. The ghughni is darker, thicker and taken with two toasts can make you feel full. The package comes at Rs 14. If you take plain toasts (without butter), that’s preferred by many, it will cost Rs 12. A great alternative to ghughni (with toasts) is the liver curry – small pieces of chicken liver in a mildly spicy vegetable curry can make for a memorable evening snack.

Their tea also stands out and needless to say is preferred by many to pair with toast or round off their evening snacking.

The shop is also famous for its fish fry and stew. There are many other pop picks like fish roll, fish pakora and fish chop. They have also been serving chilli chicken and maybe one or two odd Chinese dishes for some years but that cuisine is definitely not their forte and doesn’t reflect their culinary expertise. I also used to love their chicken pakora. A small pakora with juicy chicken inside, a wee bit sweeter than regular chicken pakoras (because of the filling) would make it outstanding. They would come at just Rs 7 apiece. But on my last visit observed that the pakora has become smaller and the taste wasn’t as good. Is rapidly rising prices the culprit? Would have loved if they priced it at Rs 10 and made it a bit larger, while not compromising on the taste. Was the double-digit price a difficult decision to make? I wonder.

(You may also read my old post Chittababu's Shop).