JHIMMA

Today after a long time saw a Marathi movie at the theatre.

JHIMMA

(झिम्मा)

It was released on 19th November..so now it is running in its 51st Day..

I had heard a lot about this film but actually didn't get tickets over the weekend since last 3 weeks.

Finally saw it today after booking tickets on Friday itself.

Let's get to the movie..

After a long time in Marathi we see a travel film.

On paper, the film has a simple story. Seven women from different walks of life, all strangers, meet on a trip, slowly make friends, and help one another overcome their fears and look at their problems from newer perspectives. In short rediscover themselves.

The trip is to United Kingdom  (London in particular).

Some of them have been there before but most of them have come this far from home for the first time. They have signed up with a travel agency run by Kabir (played by Siddharth Chandekar) who has inherited his wanderlust from his father. This is the first tour that he has organised, so he is quite nervous. His future as an entrepreneur depends on the successful execution of this trip.

There are 7 lady protagonists with him

Indu (played by Suhas Joshi), Nirmala (played by Nirmiti Sawant), Mita (played by Kshitee Jog), Rama (played by Mrinmayee Godbole), Vaishali (played by Suchitra Bandekar), Krutika (played by Sayali Sanjeev), Maithili (played by Sonalee Kulkarni). They are of different ages ( from a 20 to 70 year old )and temperaments, so breaking the ice takes a while. The film does not assume a natural sisterhood; it explores each woman's story with care.

There are the mandatory bickerings but then they all develop a camaraderie and share secrets.

The writers and the director have made a deliberate attempt to keep the tone light even when things get serious. When the jokes land, they are really funny. In that sense, Jhimma delivers. It's a decent family entertainer that keeps you engaged.

Jhimma is thoughtful touching on social issues through individual stories without becoming preachy.

The film's biggest strength is the chemistry among the actresses. Senior artistes like Nirmiti Sawant, who plays the wife of a politician, and Suhas Joshi make their presence felt. They are quite natural in both the emotional and funny scenes. Sonalee Kulkarni plays a newly engaged woman who is already fed up with her clingy fiance. Her character has a nice angle. Kshitee Jog is impressive as an inveterate worrier.( She is the producer too)

All the ladies and girls act very well. Siddharth Chandekar does a good job of showing the helplessness and frustration of a man caught in the constant whims and fancies of the women.

Personally I loved the movie and left the theatre with a smile.

It is available in theatres with English Subtitles and is expected to be on the OTT platform by Women's Day in March.

Stress

Whether our work life is overly complicated or our personal life (or both), one has chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.

To experience a simplified life, we first have to learn to slow down long enough to see through all the clutter. We need to realize that we are powerful magnets that attracted this life to ourselves - no matter what - good or bad...This is stress..That's right. Life is a series of choices and being stressed or free from stress is one of those choices....

New Launches of 2021

Mahyco Private Limited ( Vegetable Division ) has been instrumental in giving many eternal Hybrids.

Be it Chilli Tejaswini, Bhendi No.10, Bottle Gourd Warad or other minor Gourds , these products still have a standing in the Market.

However Mahyco Vegetables has not been Lacking in New Products .

The Growth Unit formed looks in to Market Gaps and in Association with R & D come out with products. 

Since it's conceptualisation in 2015 till 2020 there have been regular launches in Chilli ( 12 Dual and Green Hot Pepper) , Okra (6) , Brinjal (9), 

Gourds (9) Melons (Cucumber and WM 4) , Tomato (3) .

We are happy to share that even in the period of Covid  in the gone year 2021 we launched 9 Products

Cauliflower 1053( Tropical )

Brinjal  Rajita ( Whitish Slender )

Chilli Mahy Aadya (  Fresh Green )

Chilli Mahy 641 ( Dual )

Chilli Red Rays ( Dual )

Tomato

Claret ( In- determinate  )

Red Stone ( Light Green Shoulder Desi )

Okra ( December  2021)

Reeta

Meeta

A great Achievement for the company and for the farmers who need quality seeds.

the Key to staying Resilient in adverse conditions is to choose and move ahead.

 We at Mahyco Grow 

( Vegetables ) have done just that.

Possibly Lesser Known Facts on Baccillus thuringiensis (BT)

It's part of Agricultural history that Mahyco in 2002 got the nod for BT Cotton many should be knowing this.

Possibly fewer would be knowing that BT Brinjal was also ready after testing but was halted in 2009.

(However it was later approved in Bangladesh and is doing well there).

Had it been launched, it would have paved way for other vegetables like Cauliflower, Cabbage, Okra and Tomato which were being worked on.

What a revolution it would have

been ! 

As always Mahyco would be One Step ahead.

Decoupled ,. Netflix

Started New Year's on a Hilarious note

Back to Back 8 Episodes of Decoupled...

Don't know but somehow this series on Netflix has not got the coverage it deserves.

"Loneliness is not the scarcity of people, loneliness is when hot people don't want to be with you," says the protagonist Arya Iyer (played by R Madhavan) in  Decoupled. An author by profession and a full-time philosopher, Arya Iyer is constantly competing against his nemesis Chetan Bhagat. The real life author plays himself in the show and keeps popping in and out.

Decoupled set in the affluent high Delhi society where Arya somehow doesn't fit in as he observes everything and questions the most random things. His wife Shruti, played by Surveen Chawla, is a business woman though of a start-up and someone easily who comes across a young, rich woman who is perfect on the surface but actually dealing with her broken marriage and an impending divorce. 

While Arya and Shruti are clear that they want a divorce, the show revolves around the couple perpetually deciding when's the right time to break the big news to their 12-year-old daughter ( A wonderful performance by Arishta Mehta). They, however, continue to live under the same roof, are cordial at times, have dinners and even flirt with other people. Decoupled's setting is believable and relatable.

Both Madhavan and Surveen deliver an earnest performance with their onscreen chemistry simply perfect for a couple who is heading towards divorce. They both stand out and that seems to be the biggest strength of Decoupled. While some dialogues definitely hit the mark .With the show entirely in English, Decoupled writers infuse comedy via dialogues and you may find yourself chuckling more than once.

The most humorous scenes feature Shruti’s Punjabi parents, played by Apara Mehta and Akash Khurana. Surveen Chawla finely conveys Shruti’s frustrations and disappointments as well as the patience of a spouse who once loved. 

The other cast of Sonia Rathee (as an Airhostess Arya has an affair with) and the neighbour Dr Basu and Dilnaaz as the Netflix executive.

Spread across eight hilarious episodes of almost 30 minutes each it is almost like a TV sitcom but a tone adult in nature.

I stumbled on it by chance by found it so hilarious that watched the whole show in 4 hours flat.

Recommended for mature and a bit naughty viewing .

#netflixindia

Two Friends and their Music

How Ironic and Rare is it that two friends ..

A Film maker and a Music Director (The filmmaker never made a single film without his friend doing the music).

Some films flopped but the music was evergreen.

Iam talking of R.D.Burman who passed away on 4th January 1994 and four years before that on 5th January 1990 Ramesh Behl one of his closest friends passed away.

Together they made 12 movies.

A Tribute to this friendship.

The association started with 

" The Train".

“The Train” was a good thriller. Rajesh Khanna was then on the verge of sweeping the audience with his romantic image, wooing the leading lady with songs written for him, belting out hits after hits, with the trusted combination of lyricist Anand Bakshi, composer RD Burman and singer Kishore Kumar. This movie did not have a Kishore number but Mohammad Rafi delivered in the rare style that made him a super star among singers. 

A suspence film which had its soul in the music..

The songs were in fact thrown in at strategic interludes because the script was not strong enough to sustain the interest of the audience. It was unsurprising that the CID Inspector Shyam Kumar and Neeta, played by Nanda, were introduced through a song, the lilting Rafi number “Gulabi Aankhen Jo Teri Dekhin”. It figured in the Binaca Geet Mala list for weeks.

The story was nothing spectacular

A series of murders on a train, on a specifically targeted route, and a pattern of robbing jewellers, sets the police on a trail. Shyam Kumar ( Rajesh Khanna) has a tough assignment since he has to find the culprit responsible for framing Neeta’s ( Nanda) father in a murder trap. The character of Lily, so brilliantly portrayed by Helen, livens up the narrative. Tasked to seduce Inspector Shyam the hotel dancer falls in love with the detective and complicates the situation for her boss, No. 1 (Madan Puri). The Don and his cronies went by numbers as identity. Lily gets two lilting numbers to share the space with Neeta, who tries to match the Inspector’s dancing skills in “Gulabi Aankhen” and later in “Kis Liye Maine Pyaar Kiya” and a duet “Mujhse Bhala Yeh Kaajal Tera”. The Helen numbers, sung by Asha Bhosle – “Maine Dil Abhi Diya Nahi” and “Meri Jaan Maine Kaha” with RD, were well received too.

This was the level of melody in R.D.Burmans music.

It was the music which capitulated this film to be a big success..A super star and one in the making contributed to give “The Train” the status of a hit.

This was followed by

Jawaani Diwani (1972)

A romantic caper which added Randhir Kapoor as the third angle of this friendship triangle.

Romance was portrayed essentially through RD’s tunes. The variety that he brought was amazing. Pancham, as he was known to his friends and admirers, pumped life into what would have ended as a mundane narrative involving two college students falling in love with each other and achieving their goal after some hiccups. There is a villain too, some slapstick humour, and a predictable happy ending. The plot does not appeal but the music lingers. RD was the best ambassador for youthful and romantic genre not to forget the classical touch that he brought to songs.

Songs from “Jawani Diwani” impressed a cross-section of music-lovers. “Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani” was a peppy number and is still a regular in remixes.. “Saamne Yeh Kaun Aaya” could be heard at most parties. “Nahi Nahi Abhi Nahi” and “Agar Saaz Chheda Tarane Banenge” became popular too but he icing on the cake was “Jaane Jaan Dhoondta Phir Raha” which had a distinct RD touch, a unique blend of instruments that only he could use.

The film is remembered today just for its musc.

The pair of Ramesh Behl and R.D went on to give further hits like Kasme Vaade, Basera,Yeh Vaada Raha. These were quality films with melody.

Even insipid films like 

Dil Deewana (almost a sequel to Jawani Diwani) , Harjayi, Jaane Jaan and Apne Apne are remembered (?) just for their music.

Pukar had lovely music and songs but the film came with Amitabh in a bad patch..R.D singing for him ( due to a fall off with Kishore Kumar)

The prolific music of Jawaani (Too Rootha toh main roh dungi) is remembered.

The association ended with Indrajeet released a year after Ramesh ji passed away.

R.D Burman was also in obliviation.

Here's to their friendship..and the music they created.

Collage Credit: Shailendra Mishra.

MELODY MAKERS R.D.BURMAN & GULZAR

The collaboration between the ace composer and the lyricist-filmmaker began with a song from ‘Parichay’ that was composed in the shower.

This incident is mentioned in R.D.Burman's biography and I quote..

‘I was sitting in Pancham’s music room one morning and warming up by strumming chords on my guitar,’ Bhanu Gupta recalls. ‘Pancham, who was taking a shower, opened the bathroom door, poked his head out and said, “Bajate thako, themo na (Keep playing, don’t stop).” So I continued playing the chord progression. When Pancham came out, he was humming a tune that 

fit the chord sequence I was playing. The line was “Mujhe chalte jana hai”. Later, he went back to the first two lines. So, in effect, Pancham composed the tune for the refrain first and then for the mukhra.’

Parichay songs are a masterpiece in their own..be it Beete na Bitai or the chirpy Saare Ke Saare.. they have that melodious tune that rings in one's ears even 40 years later.

After Parichay Gulzar worked with Pancham in three more films in quick succession: as lyricist in Doosri Seeta (1974), and as director and lyricist in Aandhi and Khushboo (1975). Directed by Gogi Anand, one of Pancham’s closest lifelong friends, Doosri Seeta bombed big time at the box office. With that, three RD–Gulzar gems went virtually unnoticed. It was only after the composer’s resurrection post-1994 that the audience could enjoy melodies like the Lata Mangeshkar solo ‘Din ja rahe hain ke raaton ke saaye’ and the Asha solos ‘Tu jahan mile mujhe’ and ‘Aaye re aaye re’.

What can some say of Khushboo..

The fragrance of the songs lingers even today.Asha Bhonsle solos, ‘Bechara dil kya kare’ and ‘Ghar jayegi’, which had the right dose of ebullience and grace but posed the risk of being interpreted as modern.The Lata Mangeshkar solo ‘Do naino mein aansoo bharen hain’ was recorded in two versions and is, with its mix of the flute, tabla and the extended taan in the antara, an example of how a sad song can be composed without it getting maudlin.The one song which has stood out for more than three decades is Kishore Kumar’s ‘O majhi re’ known as much for Pancham’s technical innovations like the use of the the blowing on a bottle filled with water and for its compositional and lyrical brilliance.

The music of Aandhi, considered at par with Amar Prem, is the result of a symbiosis of the best of both Pancham’s and Gulzar’s worlds.With the Kishore–Lata duet ‘Is mod se jaate hain’, there is a story how the lyrics baffled Pancham. With his limited knowledge of poetry and precious little knowledge of Urdu, he had inquired of Gulzar if ‘nasheman’ was the name of a town.

Tere bina zindagi se koi’,Emotions are mellower, and so is the tune which is adapted from a Bengali tune composed by R.D..Gulzar took to the tune and penned the lyrics which fit in snugly. Despite this, the song has a made-to-order feel as far as the theme of Aandhi is concerned.

The relationship and synergy continued with Ghar, Kinara, Masoom, Kitaab, Ijajat, Namkeen,  Libaas , Jeeva , Basera, Gol Maal, Ratna deep and I may have missed many more and the Private album Dil Padosi Hain..

"Yaad hai Pancham, jab bhi koi dhun bana kar bhejte the toh saath keh diya karte the, 'The ball is in your court.”   Yeh kaun sa ball mere court mein chhod gaye ho tum, Pancham. Zindagi ka khel akele nahin khela jaata. Humari toh team hai. Aa jao ya bula lo."

Gulzar wrote these words for his friend R. D. Burman, fondly known as Pancham Da, after he passed away in 1994.

(Excerpts taken from RD Burman The Man, The Music by Anirudha Bhattacharjee and Balaji Vittal, HarperCollins India.)