Play mind

The subjects, promotions and content of a lot of Marathi plays are now being planned keeping youngsters in mind. This is visible in the way directors and writers are trying to reach out to Gen Next. Admitting to this fact, veteran director Kedar Shinde, shares, “I make my plays keeping my 21-year-old daughter Sana in mind. Agreed that I have been doing theatre for over 30 years, but today I also need to update my skills to remain relevant to the youth,” says Shinde. He adds, “In this digital age, you don’t even have to spend money to reach out to the masses; you just have to use your creativity. That’s exactly what I did for my forthcoming play ‘Wajale Ki Baara’. I took permission from all the actors and came up with an interesting teaser campaign that began in May, although our play will begin in August. Along with several theatre lovers, I was recently complimented by adguru Bharat Dabholkar about this particular campaign; I’m … [Read more...] about I make my plays keeping my daughter in mind: Kedar Shinde

For Hindi readers interested in Hindustani classical music, this is no mean coincidence that translations of the autobiographies of two great sitar maestri – Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan – have appeared in the current year. Bharatiya Jnanpith has brought out the Hindi version of Ravi Shankar’s autobiography while Rajkamal Prakashan has published Vilayat Khan’s life story under the Raza Pustakmala Series. As were the playing styles and the aesthetic approaches of these two titans radically different from each other, so are the flavour and the resonances of their rendering of their life stories in their own words. Lovers of Hindustani classical music cannot escape the all-pervasive magic of Ravi Shankar’s and Vilayat Khan’s sitar and, therefore, these two autobiographies are a must read for them. They do not contain only the history of their lives, but they also contain the history of Hindustani classical music, especially instrumental music, and its … [Read more...] about Playing the notes of life

The show Bhakharwadi will witness a very intriguing storyline in the upcoming episodes. The members of the Thakkar family are putting their efforts into bringing Abhishek (Akshay Kelkar) and Gayatri(Akshita Mudgal) more close to each other. The audience will even witness a transformation of Urmila (Bhakti Rathod) who plays Gayatri’s mother. She will be seen in an interesting look in the upcoming episodes. In an attempt to bring Abhishek and Gayatri close, Urmila decides to disguise as Anna’s Tau and appear in front of Anna to change his mind. The character of Tau will go back in the past and this quirky avatar of Urmila will definitely leave an impression on the viewers' mind. Urmila’s ensemble will include all the minute details of a Maharashtrian man. From dhoti, Puneripheta, tilak, bandi and the moustache to give some authenticity to the character. Talking about the upcoming segment and her new look, Bhakti Rathod said, “It is really interesting to be … [Read more...] about Bhakti Rathod to play the role of ‘Tau’ in her show Bhakharwadi

Kohli is happy that India is first playing a Day/Night Test at home IMAGE: Kohli is happy that India is first playing a Day/Night Test at home.Photograph: Ashok Bhaumik/PTI India captain Virat Kohli is open to the idea of Day/Night Test in Australia next year provided his team is allocated a practice match, something which wasn't on the table during the 2017-18 tour Down Under. India is finally playing a Day/Night Test with the pink ball against Bangladesh starting on Friday but the skipper spoke elaborately about why he had apprehensions on earlier occasions. Asked if he would be ready to play a Day/Night Test in Australia during next year's big tour, Kohli gave a positive reply with a rider. "Whenever it is held, there should be a practice game before," Kohli said on the eve of the game. Kohli then said that the Indian team refused to play Day/Night Test in Adelaide during the 2017-18 tour simply because it was slotted without keeping a tor-match so that the team can get … [Read more...] about After Eden Gardens, will India play Day/Night Test in Australia?

“Like you’ve never seen her before…” We see that phrase often, when an actress dirties up her image to play a lowdown character, a criminal, an unglamorous villain—like, for example, Jennifer Hudson as a drug-addicted, neglectful mother in this Friday’s indie release The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete. As a method of promoting a role, it’s a bit silly. Isn’t it literally the job of the actress to transform themselves completely for each role? Using the line to describe a Jennifer Hudson performance, however, is a special case. We’ve seen her go gritty before. In fact, we’re used to it. In Dreamgirls, she bellowed “I’m not going” as a desperate, defiant decree delivered from the pit of her soul. It also won her an Oscar. She’s moved the record industry to tears so many times—at the Grammys following her family’s murder, paying tribute to Whitney Houston, singing with the Sandy Hook … [Read more...] about How Jennifer Hudson Played a Drug Addict—Despite a Lifetime of Sobriety