Curious Case: By Radhika Bhirani

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com ~~~ The thought of some people makes you happy, or melancholic, or angry or cringy. And then there are those whose 'khayal' makes you smile... from the heart. Farooq Sheikh is one. Note the 'is' instead of 'was'. For the simple reason, fans would agree, that even in his absence, his presence is felt with a mere thought. His smile. Genuine, enigmatic, radiant, candid and amiable. Just as he was. "I have no 'akal' and no 'taakat' to make my own films," he told me in 2011, during one of my two short interactions with him. It's one of my regrets. Not having had enough chances to speak to an actor who had everything likeable about him -- on and off screen. His candour, his tameez and tehzeeb, are aspects that live on through memories valued by fellow journalists, film fraternity members and fans. I, for one, am always reminded of his one of a kind, matter-of-fact tone when he told me that Lahore, a fil...

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com ~~~ "Allah Miya Umar Daraz Kare". "Allah Hifazat Se Rakhe". These are Saira Bano's everyday prayers for Muhammed Yusuf Khan, her ailing husband, Indian cinema's 'Kohinoor', 'Tragedy King' Dilip Kumar, who has turned 98 today.  For years, Dilip Kumar's birthday was never about lavish celebrations. It meant an open door to their house. Friends, family members, and even fans would come impromptu, with flowers, garlands and tokens of love. The whole house would be lit up. It But ever since his health went downhill, with his restricted movement and diet, restrictions on any other engagements have been inevitable. This year, he has not been keeping too well. Saira-ji is herself not well. The family is going through a tough time. They lost Dilip Kumar's two brothers to the dreaded Covid-19. There's no question of celebrations. "We will simply thank the Lord for the gift of life and health," Sa...

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com ~~~ There's a lot you learn at school, but some of life's best lessons are, perhaps, learnt outside of school. For Pavail Gulati, the actor whom many recognise as the "Thappad guy", it was a qissa of getting slapped by a school mate, slapping her back, getting slapped again, slapping her once more, and an ensuing apology, that turned into a life-long lesson about why a 'thappad' isn't the answer to anything in life. "I have never been the one to get into fights, anytime in my life," Pavail had told me one afternoon over a phone chat after Thappad, his maiden film as a male lead, released in February, to a largely positive response. The Anubhav Sinha directorial, starring Taapsee Pannu, was a consciousness-raising effort which raised questions that matter. And should have always mattered. About deep-rooted misogyny, patriarchal norms, male entitlement, women's conditioning and about raising a hand at someone,...

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com ~~~ Nature. Natural. Au naturel. Three terms that come naturally to the mind about Yami Gautam. Not just courtesy a close look at her Instagram profile, but also by virtue of multiple chats and conversations with the actor, who is as 'hatke' as some of her film choices. In her Instagram birthday post, the girl glows. In the light of the love of her family, of her fans and of her religious and spiritual pursuits. "My family and roots are the two things most dear to me! Taking blessings from Mata Bajreshwari Devi, Kangra, on my birthday made a very special morning before making way to work," wrote the actor, who has turned 32, and is in her native Himachal Pradesh to shoot Bhoot Police. Tagged along is a beautiful picture in which Yami poses against azure blue skies with the temple's white facade painting a pretty background. She looks simple and sweet, with a tika on the forehead, and a red Mata ki Chunni draped around her neck. J...

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com There I was flashing the dimples, decked up in a satisfactorily pleated seedhe palle ki sari on Karwa Chauth, trying to drive away the seemingly endless, and all-pervasive blues brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic in my own way. Three days later, the smile was gone. And I'm still waiting for its return. The morning was usual. Waking up. Throwing the blanket away. Getting out of bed. Slipping the feet into the slippers. Heading to the restroom. And there, right when I looked into the mirror and yawned, something seemed amiss. I'd usually look no less than a roaring Lion King. But here I was, trying to make sense of a face that had turned droopy, lopsided, crooked, and whatever else you can find to go with those in the English thesaurus. A sense of panic gripped my mind and heart. What could have gone so wrong, so suddenly? The fear of this unknown, unexplained and unexpected visitor was palpable as I tried whatever I had recently learnt of stro...

Radhika Bhirani rbhirani@gmail.com It's been a silver lining in the dark clouds of toxic Twitterverse. But have you wondered what is it about Dulari Kher that brings a smile on your face, gets your giggle on, makes you laugh out a little loud sometimes and perhaps makes you love or miss your parents and grandparents a wee bit more? For the uninitiated, Dulari is the mother of actors Anupam Kher and Raju Kher. Her own unintended journey to becoming a social media sensation, if we may say so, started with her elder son sharing some of her videos first in 2017, with the hashtag #DulariRocks. And that, by now we know, she sure does! There's something so candid, innocent, goofy, endearing and most importantly, slice-of-life about her videos, that it touches a universal chord. The son agrees. "Her connection is amazing. She is a bigger star than I am. People love her so much. Wherever I go, even in America, people ask me about her," Anupam Kher told me a few months ago as w...

Radhika Bhirani for BusinessWorld rbhirani@gmail.com The lockdown exn .tensions have had a cascading effect on the filmmaking ecosystem in India, one of the largest film producing nations in the world, leaving the exhibition sector in a limbo, and accelerating the number of direct-to digital movie releases on streaming platforms  # SUPPORTMOVIETHEATRES. #SAVECINEMA. In the era of hashtags, social media and Covid-19, the Indian film fraternity is making earnest strides to get the badly-hit movie exhibition sector, which employs over 200,000 people directly and accounts for nearly 60 per cent of film business revenues, and the production business, back to its feet. What is happening in the interim is speeding up a tectonic power shift of screens in the country’s Rs 1.82 trillion media and entertainment landscape, on the back of disruptive and engaging content. A nationwide lockdown, implemented by the Indian government in March 2020 to guard people against the novel coronavirus, mean...