A Rookie's Review: Mausam

Considering there was Shahid Kapoor and Sonam together as a lead couple, and the promos aired were more than alluring it was but obvious that we would definitely catch up with Mausam as soon as it hit the theaters. While I watched the movie, for more than half the time, I was wondering if I liked it or I didn’t, and that’s what confused me the most.

So, when I saw Shahid racing with the train, I knew this had something to do with him being an Air Force pilot later in the movie where he would save his country. He didn’t. When he saw Sonam and fell in love with her at first sight, I thought they would have some sweet moments together that would establish their love, but alas! they didn't! Only a song Rabba Main Toh happened, I had already watched and heard it so many times on youtube that the only incentive I had on hand was the big screen experience. It was not too tempting. There was this bit where both of them start to express their attraction for one another exchanging notes, diluting the chits in a glass of water, I was just about beginning to sit up and notice anticipating symbolism when I realized the moment took to unwanted comedy. Result: Disappointment. Blame the TV buff in me, but I wanted to see a little more sensitivity. Especially since they had chosen such a deep title; Mausam. 

May be the idea was to show the love story between two seasons, and ranged over a period of ten years, but I didn’t quite get the logic why they had to incorporate so much communal riots. Perhaps to bring a sense of peaceful communal co-existence. The whole we are all equal, cut us some slack, issue has been dealt with time and again. New York, Kurbaan just to name two in the recent past. But Mausam seemed more like a love story. I come back to my earlier point, why did this couple have to see through Babri, Kargil, 9/11 as well as Godhra? By the time Godhra happened I was almost convinced that the movie had run long enough for them to perhaps meet in Taj on 26/11 and atleast then the movie would end. Thank God for small mercies, they ended it at Godhra!

The little tribute they paid to Nicholas Sparks where they picked up a short instance from The Notebook, gave me a sense of identification, as I thought they would now go about it with a little more sensitivity. But I think the story totally lacked soul and depth. The idea was to create an A class movie with loads of emotions that ranged from one era to another. But sadly it ended up becoming a documentary with one riot to start with and another one to end. 

Shahid and Sonam looked fabulous on screen, but their love story was somewhere lost in the midst of all that the story was trying to convey. The problem was, they were trying to do too much in too little time. Audience today are happier with a two and a half hour quick story telling. With a three hour long- when will they meet, will they meet at all happening, at one point I just wanted to get up and walk out of the theater as I got too tired of the ordeal. I did too, since I had to attend a call. But when I returned, I realized I hadn’t missed anything. Again I take pride in myself for being a hard core TV buff, since presumption and precision in the same are my forte!

I was disappointed with Pankaj Kapoor, not that my saying it will change anything for him or matter to him. But yes, I definitely felt, there was so much more they could have done with this movie. I am not going to run through the Music, the Screenplay, the Direction bits since I have already mentioned this is a rookie’s review! and I am in no authority to comment on the same! The big names can walk away with that credit!

When I started I told you, I didn’t know if I liked their love story or not. I am still wondering. I did shed a few tears for the leads at places, but I don’t know if this was because I am generally sensitive or they evoked those emotions in me. The point is, if you love something so much, do you really have to think this much?

Niharika Vidya Sagar

Rangmunch.TV

Rangmunch Diaries: Home Coming! Day 8

Today we met our parents after an entire week. It was the best feeling in the world considering we are completely home birds. Swati and I, got really emotional as we said our goodbyes to one another. While I am already lounging on my sofa writing to you guys, she is still half way away from home. This entry had to go out however, as we had planned on the 8th day of our trip!

The last one week has been splendid in every possible way. We got to meet different people, interact with them, watch our favourite shows from close quarters, and also learn the other side of the story. Its true that you don't realise how green the grass is until you get onto the other side. We look at the glamour, the gloss and the sheen that pulls us and attracts us to the screen. The hard work that goes into making what it looks like, is what we never get to perhaps see. We at Rangmunch, learnt so much in just one week only to be told it was just the tip of an ice-berg!

When we set out on the 15th of this Month, we were  unsure of what this week was going to be like. We had  few plans laid out, and wanted to certainly do something different, but had no clue how it would all pan out. Right from an impromptu visit to the sets of Iss Pyaar Ko Kyaa Naam Doon, where we met Bua ji, Shyam, Payal and Garima on our first day to the impulse decision to visit the sets of Balika Vadhu which we wanted to closely watch being made since it is the longest running show on TV today, our trip has only had lessons to teach.

Our big Thank You's to Abhaas Mehta and Lalit Mohan who called us to see where they work and what they do. We got to meet Aabha Jee, who is an experienced theatre and TV actor. That was the time when, we also learnt Deepali Pansare had infact lost 8 kilos only because her love track was to start! Pyumori who plays Garima, empathised when we couldnt get her name right, but was equally thrilled because I recognized she was the new mother because of the saree she was wearing!

Waseem Sabeer the Director of Dharampatni, seems like a man with a mind of his own. When he starts talking of life, its lessons and his experiences, you understand why he infuses so much sensitivity into each of his shows. Apart from being a Director par excellence, he is also a body of knowledge. He is well informed and knows the ways of the world. Its no wonder, he is still fondly remembered on the sets of Maryada even today, long after he has stopped working on it!

Harshad loves chocolates and how ! We were a live witness to the gobbling session of 10 of them right in front of our eyes, if there were more he would readily eat them as well. This visual treat happened after he confessed to having 20 five stars before we had turned up! Do watch the video we uploaded with him on the diary entry we made for that day!

I had met Mr. Siddharth Sengupta (Director of Balika Vadhu, Gulaal) earlier, but we will remember this meeting better only because, we saw and understood his work and his style only through his words. As he spoke we could relate and visualize how each of his shows turn out on TV. Whats on his mind is on the screen! He doesn't mince words and that's one thing we loved the most about that particular interaction. While he made us have coffee, french toast and more he was content with his green tea! So now you know how particular he must be!

Generally Sundays are days when we prefer sleeping till late and starting our day late. But Swati and I were up and on our toes pretty early since this was the day we were invited on the sets of Humse Hai Liife to meet the makers and the actors of the show. Most people acquainted with his work, and love it call it the ''Nissar's touch''! We were fortunate enough to watch how the same is infused as Nissar Parvej explained the scene to be shot for the day to Maan Singh the Director on the set. Gorky who is also the Director of the show, kept us involved and engaged all day as he spoke about the current show and how he is still getting used to the idea of Directing. How could we let go of an opportunity of asking him to click a picture for us! He gladly did! And its right here for you all to see. Thank You Nissar and Gorky for giving us a Sunday worth remembering and for so much encouragement. We were thrilled to know people appreciate our passion and don't brush it off as madness!!

Maryada had just turned 200 episodes old the day we went visiting them. We must say we were lucky since Manjari the Creative Head of the show, though wasn't available on the sets made sure we got an opportunity to talk to each and every member on the show. Every actor on that show is so strong as a character, we almost spent an entire day trying to talk and learn things about the show and their characters! Director Iqbal Rizzvi, wasn't around but we did call him to let him know we missed him!

The next day, was a testimony to the fact that we will always remain fans when it comes to Geet-Hui Sabse Parayi. Despite knowing the leads wouldn't be around and were unwell, we had to make a trip to the sets only to pass on our wishes and feel the air around the show we have loved over the year. We don't know what it is each time we visit the sets of Geet, there was a cake being cut since one of the creatives had bought a car. This is what we call celebrating small joys of life!

Drashti looked and sounded so much better than what she did on screen in the last few days. So it was a sigh of relief. Now we get the news Gurmeet has resumed his shoot again! We loved meeting Lucky and Mamaji, who are always very sweet and welcoming. But to us, the highlight of the visit was definitely our little interview with Abhishek who has been silently playing Maan Singh Khurana's body double. After showing his back to the world for months, we were elated that we could finally show you the face!

We already spoke of Mr.Sengupta, so when we visited the sets of Balika Vadhu we realised there was a stark similarity between the two names; Discipline. Whether it was the actors, the cast, the crew everyone knew what they were doing, and they exactly knew how to go about it. There are no airs and graces about anyone who works on that show. And to stay down to earth, humble and simple three years after such a successful show is indeed commendable!

As we were on our way back, we joked about how, there were some days when we skipped our breakfast, lunch and sometimes just had a simple dinner .. "jab hum hit ho jayenge, tab hum bhi kahenge, we lived on just one meal a day" 

We loved and lived every inch of the last 7 days and have definitely come back home as different individuals. We are rearing to go and feel elated at the response we got from TV Land as a whole. We cant fail to thank our parents enough for letting us go off for a week! Thank You Neeraj aunty for arranging us a place where we could crash at night! Last but not the least, a big big big Thank You to Navya and Neeraja who brought our work to you guys every night without failing. Had they not been around, the Rangmunch Diary wouldn't have become such a hit. As we look at the number of you who have read it and responded to it, we are thrilled for having made a good start! Thanks for reading us! We hope to bring in some of this just for you in the coming days! For now this is the end of the Diary series, atleast for the time being! Happy Reading!

Niharika Vidya Sagar &

Swati Ghosh

Rangmunch.TV

Fida's Corner: His Wife, Mrs. Khurana!!! (Chapter 17)

Last chapter (16)…….

A peal of laughter escaped her; she looked so beautiful that he couldn’t stop himself- he grabbed her hand tightly at her wrist and pulled her close.  Her laughter died and the smile froze on her face as she saw the look in his eyes; for a moment he could see the internal battle that was waging inside her, then she gave in and moved towards him, plastering her body to the length of him as she tilted her lips to meet his.

Chapter 17

They kissed; not another gentle kiss but instead a kiss filled with passion and wanting on one side, and the memory of pleasure and love on the other.  They kissed again and again, his hands roaming her body as if attempting to learn every curve whilst she entwined one hand in his hair and used the other to pull him closer.

Who knows how long they would have stood there; who can say how far things would have gone if they hadn’t been disturbed by the feel of his mobile phone vibrating between them.  Though it stopped ringing before he could answer it, the moment was broken; Geet stood there awkwardly whilst he put his phone away, her arms brought up to cover herself as she became suddenly aware that her clothes were almost see-through when wet.

Looking at her face, he realised that if he pushed her any further that day, he risked pushing her back into the defensive shell she had barely emerged from.  He took a deep breath to help restrain his urge to pull her close again, fighting the need to break through her reservations with the strength of the desire suddenly coursing through his body.   After a moment, he shrugged out of the jacket he was wearing and draped it over her shoulders, grimacing ruefully as she drew the edges close around herself.

“Geet, ander chalein? Nahin to thand lag jayegi” “Geet, shall we go home? I don’t want you to catch cold”

She looked up and gave him a half-smile; it was with relief that he realised that she wasn’t going to backtrack and pretend that none of this had happened, though he could sense her hesitation.  It was more than he had expected; he didn’t under-estimate the depth of the emotional trauma he had caused her, he knew it would take time before she was willing to open her heart to him again.

As they started walking back towards the car, she put her arm through his slowly, as if in two minds about the gesture; he didn’t say anything, just put his other hand on hers.  They drove back to the house in complete silence.  Even when Dadi saw them walk into the house soaked to the skin and started creating a fuss, making the servants run for towels, they stayed silent.   As their eyes met, he could see how deep her need to protect herself ran; the barriers were still up, with no hint of what she was thinking allowed to leak through.

Sighing, he realised again he had a hard road ahead of him.

That night, as he made his way to their bedroom, he reminded himself not to expect too much.  He couldn’t suppress a mad hope that in the hours since he last saw Geet, she would suddenly have realised that he had fallen in love with her again, realised that she could trust him with her heart again.  For a moment, he felt out of control, willing to try anything to convince her; he contemplated whether seducing her would help matters, let him use the physical bond that would be created to worm his way back into her affections.

He stopped outside the bedroom door, angry with himself and how easy it was to fall back into old habits.  It was a sign of his desperation that he had even allowed the thought to cross his mind.  Manipulating her emotions by sleeping with her was something that the old Maan Singh Khurana would have done without hesitation, the one who believed in winning no matter what.  This new Maan Singh Khurana, the one who would rather die than do anything to hurt Geet, knew that she would never believe him if he tried to force things between them. 

So he stood for a moment outside their bedroom door, reminding himself to be patient then forcing his unruly body into submission before walking in.  Some small part of him still hoped to find his wife waiting for him; instead he found her bent over the toilet in the en-suite bathroom, retching painfully.   She was clasping her lower abdomen and her face was white with pain as he rushed to her side

“Kya hua Geet”  “What’s wrong Geet”

She gave a wan smile as she took in his frantic expression.

“Aap ke liye ek nayi yaad; kabhi kabhi meri tabiyat aise hi kharab hojati hai” “A new memory for you; sometimes it’s not very nice being a woman, especially me” she gritted out between clenched teeth as she curled in on herself.

He frowned as her meaning became clear then bent to lift her off the bathroom floor.

Holding her in his arms, he asked “Geet, do you have any medication?”

She shook her head, biting back a moan.  “Nahin, koi asar nahin hota hai.  Bas ek din bardaasht karna padta hai, phir main theek hojati hoon”  “No, nothing works; I just have to bear it for a day then I’m normally ok”

It infuriated him that he couldn’t do anything to make her pain better; he could feel his anger build, triggered by his helplessness.  Looking down at her as she lay in his arms, his bitingly unfair comment about her inability to look after herself without his help died on his lips as the sight of her pale face pierced his heart.

She looked so vulnerable, her defences down as she lay in his arms, completely dependent on his strength.  It was the first time she had let her barriers down so completely, left herself so exposed in front of him- he knew it was because she was in too much pain to keep those barriers up, but he didn’t underestimate her strength; if she had wanted to keep this from him, she was more than capable of finding a way to hide her weakness.

Unutterably grateful for the implied (possibly unacknowledged) trust she was showing, he carried her over to their bed and lay her down.  After taking a moment to close the bedroom door and take off his belt, he sat next to her and drew her into his arms.  Love made him hold her close all through the night, rubbing her back soothingly when she whimpered in pain; he only hoped that she would be more gracious on waking than he had been when their positions were reversed.

Great News For Geet Fans

Gurmeet Chaudhary  has been  not shooting  off late because of his ailing health.He has been missing in action from the  hit Star One  show" Geet Hui Sabse Parayi " for quite some time now.



But there is good news for GC fans.Gurmeet has resumed shooting and is back on the sets.From our insides sources, Gurmeet will be seen shortly on the screen and once again woo his fans with his intense MSK act.So gear up all to see your favourite MSK back with lights, camera and action.!

Rangmunch.Tv

Two Shows Battle On TRP Chart

Two primetime  shows  fall prey to the TRP game



Star plus show "Maayke Se Bandhi Dor "                       


Whatever one sees or like, its all about the Television Ratings Points( TRPs) at the end of the day.That is the sole reason why the Star Plus show " Maayke Se Bandhi Dor" is going off air.The show has been under the scanner for quite sometime now.Infact the show garnered  ratings as low as 1.6%.The cast and the technicians were very upset with this news as the show didnt even make a year.They further refused to comment.Meanwhile  Colors" Hamari Saas Leela,which was rumoured to go off air has been given a grace period to gets its rating up and  hence will be seen shifting to the afternoon slot.





This on going battle of shows being on and off air has picked up momentum  rapidly ,which is why now all prime time shows want to retain their positions and are extremely careful in not showing senseless stuff  to the viewers.

                                                                                         

Edited by
Navyanka



Rangmunch Diaries: Set-hopping Update – Day Seven! On the sets of ‘Balika Vadhu’

Today was the last day of our set hopping and this time it was Balika Vadhu on the cards. The place where the show is shot, is a two hour drive from where we live but, it was worth the distance we travelled since the entire star cast of the show was present. 

As we set off a midst the mist and rain along the track that seemed breath taking to view, the distance seemed never ending. We wondered how the actors may have been managing the distance for the last three years. 

As soon as we reached the set, we were asked to keep our cell phones on silent mode as they were shooting a scene. The first person we got to meet was Gehna (Neha Marda).  She looked just the way we see her onscreen, only not as serious as she appears to be on the show. She was extremely warm, cordial and chirpy too. She told us she gets along best with our dear Anandi (Pratyusha Banerjee) since they share a Bengali connection.

We soon met Anandi (Pratyusha Banerjee) and Gouri (Anjum Farooqi) who though may not look eye to eye on screen, but they are good friends off screen. They even share the same make up room. It was nice to see them joke and have fun while we were still around.  

          On screen they share a husband, off-screen they share a room: Pratyusha and Anjum


Later even Jagiya (Shashank Vyass) joined us. We congratulated Pratyusha and Shashank for winning the Best Jodi  Award and both of them seemed elated at their latest victory.  

Pratyusha incidentally has also won the New Talent award. On asking him about his character, Shashank  made fun of his current role saying Jagiya is a HIT hero since he has been slapped several times on the show. It was fun being around the three of them.

However, the most memorable moment was when we met the two actors who we grew up watching on television, one being  Dadisa (Surekha Sikri) and the other being Bhairav Singh (Anup Soni). Every actor on the set as well as people in the industry spoke very highly about Surekhaji as an actor and the way she has established the character of Dadisa in the show.

Not many people know that  Surekha Sikri  is an alumni from the National School of Drama where she is today taught as a part of their curriculum. Apart from her, Bhairav (Anup Soni) & Vasant (Satyajit) are also alumni from the National School of Drama.

We were unable to talk to Sumitra (Smita Bansal) and Vasant (Satyajit) as they were shooting back to back scenes.

The entire cast & crew came across as very disciplined which probably is one of the major reason for the success of the show besides having a huge bunch of talented actors.


As we drove back, we were still reeling in the effects of the day since we had not only met and interacted with the actors but also had grown immensely fond of them, their simplicity and the sincerity with which they interacted with us and spent time around us considering we were meeting for the very first time. Here is a focused bunch of people, all of who, know their jobs well, are popular with the masses and yet are  so down to earth, you see through why the show has been a consistent hit over the last three years!


Rangmunch.TV

Circumstances force Brahma to make choices: Vishwajeet Pradhan

Brahamanand Jhaakar magnifies the screen with his persona, his dialect, his attitude and most importantly his confidence in executing what he perceives right. With his powerful portrayal as a man who does what comes to his mind, and lays down his own rules and principles, this is one man we all hate to love. Rangmunch.TV brings to you  an exclusive with Vishawajeet Pradhan aka Brahmanand Jhaakar of Maryada fame. As we spoke to Mr. Pradhan, we realized how different he is as an individual from the character he portrays. Humor is his second skin and knowledge and experience are his strength. Sometimes when you know what you are doing, especially being an actor, adds more essence to the role you play. Mr. Pradhan shares with us his insights on what makes Brahmanand click and his equation with the ladies of the Jhakaar household.

What makes Brahmanand the man he is and what justification does he have to give for his actions?

Brahmanand is a man like any other who believes in his point of view. If he sees that a situation is right from his perspective, he will go ahead with it even if rest of the world feels it to be wrong. Be it Hitler, Chandrashekhar Azaad or even Saddam Hussain, whatever they did was right according to them and they became heroes for their people while they were criticised by the opposition. Basically it boils down to one's point of view and his or her belief in the same. Brahmanand is just that man who believes that his thinking and actions are right .

We have seen Brahmanand as a corrupt man who uses his power to justify his misdeeds. How do you relate to him as a character? 

Every man has a good and bad side to him. No one is perfect ."Log majboori mein imandaar bantey hai".(People become honest out of compulsion).Brahmanand has gone through life seeing various situations and reacting to them. Sometimes he has used his power to tackle a situation and then in the next he has also been honest about it. Yes, power is addictive and makes us do things we normally wont. Everyone has a Ram and Ravan in them. Somewhere Ram becomes powerful and somewhere Ravan. When people say, be practical, it means compromise with the truth. That is what I think Brahmanand is doing.

What place does Devyani hold in his life? Does he love her ?

Its like this , when two people who have been staying together as long as Brahmanand and Devyani  have, love which was initially there turns into habit ."Main Devyani ke liye ek aadat  hoon, waise he woh mere liye".We are not in love as shown in the today's perception of romance but merely a habit to each other. Now that Devyani is suddenly opposing everything that Brahmanand is doing, it is disturbing him a lot. He has always seen her as a caretaker and a homemaker who looks after everyone, but now she is finding her own place and fighting for her family. This is making Brahmanand uneasy. Devyani herself is feeling uncomfortable doing what she is doing. Its basically an association of a lifetime. He may look at other women since variety is the spice of life, but its Devyani he comes back to.

How different is it working in daily soap as compared to movies ? Have you ever felt that your creativity is being challenged due to the hectic and taxing work schedule on TV?

Well both lines have their plus and minus points.Big screen has more budgets , better equipments and more facilities but at the same time daily soaps have detailed character graphs which you dont get in Bollywood.The journey in films starts from point A and finishes at point B, where as in the soaps the journey from A to B has lots of twist and turns and every turn gives more variety to work on.I have never had to live a character for such a lengthy time period but am enjoying it .It can be taxing but you get to learn alot.In a film I would never get to play Brahmanand Jhakaar in so many shades.

Brahmanand, apart from being corrupt is also a womanizer. Having justified his penchant for corruption, how will you explain this weakness for women, especially Uttara at this point? 

Its an inherent nature of man to want what you dont have.Brahmanand  is married but that doesnt stop him from being attracted to other women.Its probably the growing years that have made him the way he is.Uttara is young, vibrant and beautiful and somehow Devyani lacks in this department.So naturally he gets pulled towards her.It is not lust entirely .Its about attachment and knowing Uttara for a period of time now. Knowing Brahmanand, he never lets go of an oppurtunity ( says  laughingly )

How has it been working with Indrani Haldar who is a popular award winning actress from Bengal?

Its a pleasure working with such a great performer. She is a thorough professional and is very dedicated to her art. Actually I'm sorrounded with wonderful actors, be it Raqesh, Kamya or Indrani herself. So the journey has been enriching.

Interviewed by:

Swati Ghosh

Niharika Vidya Sagar

Edited By:

Navyanka Varma