Top 5 films of 2008

By Rinky Kumar, Team iDiva
2008 is finally over. Apart from the 26/11 terror attacks that left an indelible impact on everyone's lives, this year will also be remembered for some path-breaking movies.

Films like A Wednesday and Mumbai Meri Jaan that dealt with terrorism and extremism were well-received. Farhan Akhtar's acting debut Rock On was a pleasant watch while the romantic comedy Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na reminded us of our college days. The year ended on a good note with the Khans making a statement of sorts with Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini.

Here's our top five favourite films of 2008:

A Wednesday
It portrayed the anger and frustration of the common man who has bored the brunt of umpteen terror attacks. Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah portrayed the angst-ridden middle-aged citizen perfectly. Director Neeraj Pandey made an impressive directorial debut.

The Dark Knight
Hollywood hunk Heath Ledger will be best remembered for this role. While we lost this talent in 2008, we also saw him on big screen as the sadistic Joker in The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel broke box office records all across the globe.

Rock On
Farhan Akhtar showed us that he can not only direct coming-of age films well but also act and croon in one of them effortlessly. With his curly locks and oh-so-sexy-husky voice, we couldn't get enough of him. Arjun Rampal and Shahana Goswami were the surprise packages.

Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!
Taking the magic of Khosla ka Ghosla magic ahead, director Dibakar Banerjee weaved the story of a charming thief with a pinch of Punjabi tadka. Abhay Deol was loved in the film by one and all, and Paresh Rawal was as funny as always. All in all, we remembered Hrishikesh Mukherji and felt lucky.

Mumbai Meri Jaan
This was the perfect tribute that one could pay to the 26/7 terror attacks that we witnessed in the lifelines of Mumbai metropolis. Award-winning film-maker Nishikant Kamat handled the subject sensitively. Reputed actors like Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon and R Madhavan were impressive.

Songstress on a roll

Sunidhi Chauhan
Till a few years ago, Sunidhi Chauhan was known as a feisty singer who sang only item numbers. Then she was known for her soft, soul-stirring tracks like Le chale (My brother Nikhil) and Bhaage re Man mera (Chameli).

And just when you thought you could slot her as a typical female playback singer crooning romantic numbers, she gives super hit, peppy numbers like Shut up and Bounce (Dostana), Lucky Boy (Bachna Ae Haseenon), Beedi Jalaile (Omkara) and the title track of Cash.

So what exactly is her mettle, you may ask?
"Versatility," says the singer. "I have sung almost all kinds of songs. At the beginning of my career I sang only item numbers and peppy dance tracks. It was Sonu Nigam who told me that I should strive towards being versatile and sing soft numbers too. I practiced diligently and today I'm singing softer, sentimental romantic songs than ever before."

The singer, who first shot to fame after crooning Ruki Ruki si zindagi from Mast, has sung various genres for almost all music composers. "I like to experiment and I'm always on the lookout for something different. If you remember, the title track of Bhoot was neither a soft track nor an item number."

Childhood dreams
The artist's tryst with music started from childhood. She grew up listening to stalwarts like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle. What started as a hobby, soon turned into a passion. She won Meri Aawaz Suno, a national music talent hunt show, and was flooded with Bollywood offers.

Big break
At the age of 11, she got her first break from music director Aadesh Srivastav. Later, Sonu Nigam introduced her to Sandeep Chowta, who was composing music for Ram Gopal Varma's Mast.

Sunidhi recalls the experience vividly, "I was 15 at that time. I was very excited, in fact I was dying to go the mike. It was great fun. In fact, after I sang the song, I cried since I couldn't believe that I had actually sung for a film. I couldn't sleep for two nights out of sheer excitement."

Future plans
The 24-year-old, who has sung in almost all languages, enjoys listening to hard rock, pop, R&B, soul and jazz and admire Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Paul Simons. Right now, though she's busy with her film projects, she is keen on pursuing her dream project - an international album.

And yes, though she would like to be remembered as a versatile singer, she would hate it if she's known as an artiste who can sing only in a typical style. We are not complaining! Meanwhile, we can't wait to hear what this lovely songstress has in store for us in the near future.

Freudian slip:

Music: Life

Rhythm: Soul

Passion: Music

Dream destination: Koh Tao in Thailand

Turn ons: Great video, nice fragrance

Turn offs: Liars

Five things that you can't do without: CDs, music, mobile phone, car and a good workout.

idiva.com January 6, 2009

Life is beautiful

Rinky Kumar, a journalist with The Times Group

Ayesha Dharker on the art of acting effortlessly

Role Play

by Rinky Kumar

At the age of eight, Ayesha Dharker auditioned for Francois Villier’s Manika: Une vie plus tard. She got noticed for her intense big eyes, expressive smile and histrionic skills. Before she knew it, she was in movies, plays and tele-serials. Her latest films, Loins of Punjab Presents and Outsourced have been applauded by critics and audiences alike and won awards at several international film festivals. In the former, Ayesha plays the fiancé of a contestant trying to start a new kind of exercise fad called Joga, a combination of yoga and jogging. In John Jeffcoat’s Outsourced, she plays Asha, an Indian working in a call centre. Ayesha describes it “as a love story, not just between the protagonists but between India and the US.” Recently, the self -confessed sci-fi geek and loyal viewer of the Dr Who science fiction series said yes to acting in the project. “It’s like being a kid and seeing this whole bunch of children having fun. You are just happy sitting on the sidelines watching, but then they ask you to play....”

Verve, Volume 15, Issue 10, October, 2007

Social worker extraordinaire: Bidding farewell to the unknown dead

By Rinky Kumar/TNN

Mumbai: Strange are the ways of humanity. It reigns supreme even after man ceases to exist. This adage seems befitting for Kishore C Bhatt, who performs the last rites of unclaimed bodies.

An interior decorator by profession, he has arranged the funerals of over 1,500 people since 1968 according to their respective religious rituals, free of cost. So a Hindu person is cremated while a Muslim or Christian man is buried.

It was a strange turn of events that inspired Bhatt to do this unusual, yet noble deed. In 1968, at the age of 17, Bhatt had accompanied a social worker to distribute food to the residents of a faminestruck area of Surat. But the scene that greeted him there left an indelible impact on him for the rest of his life. He saw corpses lying along with carcasses of animals. After reaching home, he narrated the event to his father who advised him to lend his services as a pall-bearer whenever he could.

Only Bhatt took a step further. Whenever he saw any body lying on the road or in hospital morgues, Bhatt offered a helping hand. Bhatt also realised that people from poor families are often unable to give a decent farewell to their family members. “Once I met a man who did not have money for the funeral of his relative. I paid the expenses and arranged for his funeral.’’

Today, whenever there is an unclaimed body or a family is unable to pay for the last rites of their a deceased member, the mortuary officials of government hospitals inform Bhatt, who arranges for the ambulance, shroud, incense sticks, priest or maulvi according to the person’s religion. The expenses amounting to almost Rs 1,000 are paid by Bhatt.

Bhatt owns an art shop at Jacob Circle where he creates designs for architects. He also owns a snacks stall and a juice centre that enable him to shell out money for his social work. He has formed an organisation, Sadgati Foundation, to carry on the good work.

In his 37 years of social service, Bhatt has had many heart-rending experiences. Narrating one such incident, he says, “A couple of years ago, I saw an old man lying outside my shop. He told me he was suffering from tuberculosis. I admitted him to Sewree Hospital and after four days, he paid me a visit and thanked me. The next moment, he passed away. I arranged his funeral.’’

Now, Bhatt harbours a desire to build a crematorium where the “souls of human beings will truly rest in peace’’.

The Times of India, March 26, 2006

C’est la vie

by Rinky Kumar


Films and life go together for Tisca Chopra


“You are lucky if you are passionate about your job. That way you won’t have to work another day,” says Tisca Chopra. Pearls of wisdom from an actor who has dabbled in films, theatre, television and will be seen shortly in Aamir Khan’s directorial debut Taare Zameen Par. The model vouches Aamir is as good a director as he is an actor.

“He has a deep understanding of human nature and knows how to translate it on film.” Tisca spent a lot of time bonding with the kids in the movie over games like X-box, Gameboy and Uno.

Currently, the Olay Total Effects believer is busy with Nandita Das’ directorial debut and a script she is co-writing with a friend. A travel buff, she likes to take off every two or three months to get a taste of different cultures. She straddles her dual role of homemaker and actor with ease. As she puts it, “you can build a great career on a great relationship but you can’t build a great relationship on a great career.” Indeed.

Verve, Volume 15, Issue 12, December, 2007

Winsome Wonder

By Rinky Kumar


With her homespun, pretty looks and pixie charm, Amrita Rao is the perfect embodiment of the girl next door. But her achievements are far from ordinary. Rao’s demure portrayal of a small-town girl in Sooraj Barjatya’s Vivah not only grabbed the attention of audiences and painter M F Husain, it won her the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award – at the ripe old age of 23!



It was an ordinary day with an extraordinarily happy ending. Recently, when Amrita Rao returned home after a day’s shoot, she had no idea the contents of an envelope lying innocuously on her table would change her life forever. The letter informed her she had been chosen to be the new recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award.

“It’s the best thing that has happened to me. Fifty four members from 36 associations within the film industry had unanimously selected me; they found me worthy to be honoured with the award. It was a moment of huge pride for me,” she gushes.

Rao’s small but noticeable role as Bhagat Singh’s fiancée in Rajkumar Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh helped her bag the lead in Vivah. Though critics panned it, the film did well at the box office, recently completing its silver jubilee. The movie gained much mileage from word-of-mouth publicity. Small-town folks, especially housewives in cities like Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Kanpur, Jaipur and Gwalior lauded its traditional values.Rao attributes much of the success of Vivah to film-maker Sooraj Barjatya. “I translated the persona of Poonam on the big screen exactly the way Soorajji had visualised it. It wasn’t difficult for me to envision the character. Poonam’s simplicity, her old-world charm and the truthfulness of her emotions made her very appealing.” Rao did her homework well, visiting Mathura and Vrindavan to study the mannerisms of small-town girls to draw upon while essaying this role.

The film also made her M F Husain’s new muse. The octogenarian watched Vivah 17 times and was struck by Poonam’s simplicity. When Rao first heard about this, she was ecstatic to share the honour with leading lights like Madhuri Dixit and Tabu who had caught the painter’s fancy earlier.Grateful to the banner that has got her so much fame, Rao is quick to rewind to the Barjatyas’ track record of creating winners. “Rajshri has a glorious history. All heroines who have worked with the banner have soared the heights of success, be it Jaya Bhaduri in Uphaar, Meena Kumari in Aarti or Nutan in Saudagar.” No exception herself, Rao is being wooed by top banners today. Currently she has Anil Kapoor’s Shortcut, E Niwas’s My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, David Dhawan’s Hook ya Crook with Siddharth and a Telugu film with Mahesh Babu. She also makes an appearance in a song in comedian Sajid Khan’s maiden directorial venture, Hey Baby.

Verve, Volume 15, Issue 6, June, 2007