Shubham Malhotara, AIR-1 IPC Nov18 Exams in an Exclusive Talk with CAclubindia

Debuting in today's times is the best thing to happen for any aspiring actor. The opportunities at the disposal are far greater and richer than they were back in the days. Heroes could not be villains, villains could not be comedians, and comedians could only dream of becoming heroes. Today, an actor can pull off everything and display his versatility. Tahir Raj Bhasin is one of them!

In 2014, he made his debut with Pradeep Sarkar's Mardaani, a riveting crime thriller about human trafficking. There was an urgent breathlessness about the way the narrative unfolded and something compelling about the performances. Rani Mukerji can always be relied upon to deliver a rocking act, what caught the audiences was the character of Bhasin. He was a college student and completely unapologetic about his heinous crimes. He was cool, calm, and yet very chilling. Also, if we may add, very charming!

Bhasin's wasn't the kind of villain that we have grown up watching. He could be anyone from the crowd, carefully shielding his hideous reality from everyone. And in one scene, he even weeps at the loss of a loved one. His approach towards his character was commendable and so was his effortlessness in creating what is one of the most impressive antagonists in recent times.

A few years later, in 2019 to be precise, we were rooting for the same guy we despised in Mardaani. He was Derek this time, in Nitesh Tiwari's Chhichhore, a loser who chances upon a golden opportunity to win! His entry shot is possibly the most heroic moment in the film, juxtaposed by his entry as an aging, balding man who visits a close friend. Derek is driven by hope and despair, and Bhasin never made this character unreal or unlikable. He was one of us, and we wanted to be like him!

Bhasin has a solid screen persona that it's impossible not to root for him or at least enjoy what he's doing on the screen. His next is Kabir Khan's 83, where he plays the role of the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar. It's an ensemble but we are sure even this time, he'll deliver a knock-out performance!

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Shah Rukh Khan's trademark wit was at work when he commented on Salman Khan's new song, Pyaar karona. SRK's quip came during an interactive Twitter session with fans titled "#asksrk", when a user asked him what he thought of the new song that Salman has released on the coronavirus outbreak, titled "Pyaar karona".

"Bhai kamaal ka Single aur Singer hai..." was Shah Rukh's reply.

Many fans feel SRK was playing a pun using the word "Single" -- which could refer to the song, as well as Salman's bachelor status. "Bhai" could be a reference to Salman, of course, but Shah Rukh could also be addressing the fan.

Among several other interesting questions, SRK was asked who he would love to work with -- Martin Scorsese or Christopher Nolan. His reply, again, was a cryptic one, and many users felt he is hinting at a possible collaboration with Rajkumar Hirani in the future.

Replying to the question about Scorsese or Nolan, Shah Rukh tweeted: "Wow both are awesome and I have met them... but Raju apna sa lagta hai... nahi?"

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Known for his larger-than-life image on screen, John Abraham lauded the real-life heroes — the police and healthcare workers — as he released the motivational poem, Mera bharat mahaan, over the weekend. Penning the verses came easy to director Milap Zaveri, but the filmmaker admits that shooting the video amid the lockdown was an uphill task. He credits Abraham's unbridled enthusiasm for seeing their passion project through.

"I sent the poem to John and asked if he would like to recite it. He called immediately and said he was on board," recounts Zaveri. A two-day shoot followed, as Abraham doubled up as an actor and director, filming the video at his Bandra residence. "I told him we should run with a simple close-up shot [as he recites the poem]. John shot his portions on his phone, and it was a one-take video," exclaims the filmmaker, evidently impressed with his leading man's directorial skills.

As the actor mouths the lines, 'Mandir aur masjid hai bandh, khuli ration ki dukaan hai. Hausla hai phir bhi dilon mein, kyunki mera bharat mahaan hai', the two-minute-plus video focuses on iconic venues across the country that wear a deserted look in the current scenario. "John elevated the video with his inputs. It was he who suggested that the footage of the city should be intercut with shots of me writing the poem. He also came up with the idea of shooting his portions in black-and-white," adds the director.

Milap Zaveri

It took them 10 days to develop the video as the team, including the editor, music director and sound mixer, worked out of their respective homes. "I sent the footage to my editors, Maahir Zaveri and Manik Sagar, who worked online and gave it shape."

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Alia Bhatt's Gangubai Kathiawadi, a biopic on the fierce madam of the Kamathipura brothels, is among the many Bollywood projects that had to call time on their shoots due to the lockdown. In keeping with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's style of filmmaking, an elaborate set — depicting Kamathipura of the 1960s — had been constructed at Film City. With the set standing unused over the past five weeks, word is that Bhansali has instructed the production team to arrange for its demolition.

The set at Film City

A source says, "In March, Bhansali had cleared the payment for the set maintenance. Even when the shutdown was announced, the team had assumed it would delay the schedule only by a month or so. However, with the situation in Mumbai looking grim, it is unlikely that the shoots will resume soon. After a round of number-crunching, it was seen that recreating the set would probably be a cheaper alternative than keeping it standing in these uncertain circumstances, as the latter entails the daily rent that has to be paid to Film City. So, the team has decided to have the set razed to the ground." When quizzed if shooting in real locations is a possibility, the source added, "The final call will be taken post the lockdown."

mid-day reached out to Bhansali Productions, which did not respond till press time.

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Appreciating the 'beauty of nature,' actor Alia Bhatt recited a poem on Wednesday to mark the golden jubilee of Earth Day. The 27-year-old actor took to Instagram and shared a video singing a poem dedicated to mother Earth.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

My attempt at writing a little something to celebrate earth day☀ï¸Â #EarthDayEveryDay

A post shared by Alia Bhatt ☀ï¸Â (@aliaabhatt) onApr 22, 2020 at 4:26am PDT

She said: "Hi guys, today is Earth Day and I was doing some writing and I dedicated writing a little poem, expressing the way I feel today and kind of every day." The 'Raazi' actor started reciting, "Today and every day, I'm grateful. For the sunrise and sunset. For the forests full of trees. The animals, the birds. The lakes, rivers and seas. I'm grateful for all we've built, Our bridges and our streets. I'm grateful for the love that binds us and the wind that sometimes knocks us off our feet.

"In these uncertain times, I'm grateful for those who put themselves in danger for us. Our saviours, the world's warriors! Today and everyday, promise to care for our planet and all it has to offer. I promise to value our home by doing better I choose to celebrate earth day Today and every single day!" The 'Highway' star captioned the post as, "Today and Everyday. My attempt at writing a little something to celebrate earth day[?] #EarthDayEveryDay."

Celebrity followers including Zoya Akhtar, Dia Mirza left their lovable comments on the post. Meanwhile, scores of leading ladies of the Bollywood industry took to social media to mark the golden jubilee of Earth Day.

Veteran actor Hema Malini tweeted: "Today is Earth Day. With the Coronavirus raging everywhere, time for us to reflect on how we have ravaged Mother Earth, stripping her of trees & vegetation & destroying the ozone layer."

Kajol tweeted: "The earth does not belong to man. Man belongs to the earth. If that has not been proved categorically to us at this time I don't think it ever will be. Happy #EarthDay2020 to all the remaining species."

Others including Dia Mirza, Shilpa Shetty, Madhuri Dixit, and Bhumi Pednekar also took a moment to appreciate nature and thank mother Earth in different ways.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

Abhay Deol is not only one of the most versatile actors but also a fantastic artist. He has often shared his work of art on his Instagram account and the latest one is probably the best. He shared a painting of a woman and it was a reflection and representation of the Coronavirus pandemic the world is suffering from. His fans were in awe after seeing this!

This is what he wrote about it- "Trying to get back into drawing/painting. Couldn't help but draw the people most affected by the pandemic. I should try and work on happier themes! But living in a country that fans communal hatred even through a pandemic, with a media that is itself biased and divisive, where there is active disinformation everywhere manipulating people, where your nationalism is more important than your humanity, I guess this woman is appropriate." (sic)

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Trying to get back into drawing/painting. Couldn’t help but draw the people most affected by the pandemic. I should try and work on happier themes! But living in a country that fans communal hatred even through a pandemic, with a media that is itself biased and divisive, where there is active disinformation everywhere manipulating people, where your nationalism is more important than your humanity, I guess this woman is appropriate.

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) onApr 21, 2020 at 1:45am PDT

A user wrote- "This is so beautiful." Another one wrote- "Heartbreaking! ....my artist extraordinaire...." (sic) And another one stated- "This world needs more humans like you." The actor posted another picture where he said he's stepping out after a long time but only to buy essentials. Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

1st time out in a looooong time! Only to buy essentials (yes sometimes I do my own shopping 🙄). What’s essential to you?

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) onApr 22, 2020 at 12:45am PDT

It seems it's time to keep a tab on his Instagram account more often since he's one of the most interesting celebrities on social media and also a very honest one!

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One of the most bankable and pretty actresses currently, Kiara Advani was a cutie as a child. And it seems like the actress was always into Bollywood if this video is any indication. The Good Newwz actress shared a video from her childhood days on Instagram in which she can be seen doing Bharatnatyam to an English song in a cute ballerina dress! Sharing the video, Kiara wrote, "When mom thought I would join the Bolshoi ballet but I chose Bollywood instead #thewonderyears."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

When mom thought I would join the Bolshoi ballet but I chose Bollywood instead💁🏻‍♀ï¸Â #thewonderyears 🌈👯‍♀ï¸ÂðŸ‘§ðŸ¼ðŸ¥°

A post shared by KIARA (@kiaraaliaadvani) onApr 21, 2020 at 11:25pm PDT

We simply can't get over how absolutely adorable Kiara Advani was as a child! The way she throws caution to the wind and dances her heart out is incredible and so innocent. And would you look at her pretty pink ballerina dress?! If this doesn't drive away your quarantine blues, we don't know what will.

Ace fashion designer Manish Malhotra commented on the video and its something you must have thought too when you watched it. He wrote, "Kiara the talent was there since childhood," Neha Dhupia wrote, "Adorable" while Arjun Kapoor commented, "That's a heady mix of class and mass."

What did you think of this video?

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The whole world is currently locked down and maintaining social distance from their friends and even families. However, Alia Bhatt seems to be feeling very homesick and that's perhaps the reason why she recently visited her parents Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan. And this news was confirmed by the filmmaker himself to Mumbai Mirror.

Talking about it, he said, "We met a few days ago-she lives a few buildings away and it's a protected space. So, she just walked across with mask and gloves on and sat at a distance so she wouldn't endanger her parents. It warms the heart to see her fulfill the social role of a responsible young child and to see your children teach you what you taught them in their childhood."

Alia even shared a throwback picture with her father a few weeks ago and it was indeed a heartwarming one. In case you missed it, have a look right here again:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Stay home &... go through old pictures when you're missing your daddy💗 #throwbackthursday #stayhomestaysafe

A post shared by Alia Bhatt ☀️ (@aliaabhatt) onMar 26, 2020 at 2:32am PDT

On the work front, Mahesh Bhatt returns to direction after 22 years with Sadak 2 that stars Alia, Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Gulshan Grover. The film is slated to release on July 10!

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Yesterday, to mark World Book Day, several stars took to social media to share with fans, which book they are reading. Alia Bhatt is devouring JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Sharing a picture of the book on Instagram, she wrote, "I've made a new friend (sic)."

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

I’ve made a new friend 🤍 #worldbookday #currentlyreading

A post shared by Alia Bhatt ☀️ (@aliaabhatt) onApr 23, 2020 at 3:38am PDT

Shraddha Kapoor also shared a list of books she has read during the lockdown. It included The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy, Conscious Collective by Joseph Kauffman, Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. Kapoor is now reading IC Robledo's The Secret Principles Of Genius, which has been gifted by Chhichhore (2019) co-star Sushant Singh Rajput. Kapoor also said that she would like to read the Mahabharat and Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

📖📚🙃💜 Thank you for this @sushantsinghrajput #BookDay #CurrentRead

A post shared by Shraddha (@shraddhakapoor) onApr 23, 2020 at 4:06am PDT

Madhuri Dixit Nene shared a photo of her bookshelf. She posted, "Books not only teach us a lot but at times they become a source of inspiration and a place to find solace in. Sometimes they can even help you rediscover yourself (sic)." Lots of bookworms in B-Town.

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One of the most stunning actresses of the 90s, Divya Bharti married filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala in 1992. The couple got secretly married at Nadiadwala's Versova apartment. Divya Bharti converted to Islam and reportedly also changed her name to Sanah Nadiadwala. Unfortunately, on April 5, 1993, Divya fell off the balcony of the fifth storey apartment.

Sajid Nadiadwala then tied the knot with Warda Khan in 2000 and the couple has two kids together, Sufyan and Subhan. And even after 20 years of marriage, Warda Khan Nadiadwala still gets trolled and compared with Divya Bharti.

In a candid chat with Bollywood Hungama, Warda opened up about the same saying, "I know people keep throwing these questions sometimes. Sometimes they think I am being trolled. Divya is still very much a part of our lives. Her family, her dad, her brother Kunal, they are like our family, they are a part of each celebration."

She added, "So when you guys try to troll me, please know that I am not getting trolled. On her anniversaries and birthdays, we speak to each other. When my children watch her movies, they call her 'Badi Mummy'. So, guys, she is still a very, very beautiful part of our lives."

Wards also spoke about how husband Sajid is still extremely close to Divya Bharti's father and brother. "Sajid is so close, Sajid is like a son to dad, after mumma (Divya's mother) passed. You can't even imagine how close dad and Sajid are. And Kunal and Sajid too. They talk just like brothers would. And I have not tried to replace her ever. I have made my own place. She is a part of my life. Sometimes people say, 'Divya Bharti bahot acchi thi'. Of course, bahot acchi thi yaar. We love her."

Divya Bharti kickstarted her career down south in 1990 with the Telugu film Bobbili Raja. She soon took the Hindi film industry by storm with her performances in Shola Aur Shabnam, Deewana and Balwan.

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I have watched everything that was pending on my must-watch list over the years," laughs Tahir Raj Bhasin, echoing the sentiment of many who have turned to digital entertainment to escape the lockdown ennui. A movie aficionado, the actor has been making the most of the stay-at-home period by acquainting himself with the works of the masters — from Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky to Oscar-winner Bong Joon-ho."

"My first recommendation would be Shoplifters on Netflix. It's a 2018 Japanese drama by Hirokazu Koreeda that traces the story of a dysfunctional family. It has a slow pace, but the lockdown is the perfect time to widen your horizon when it comes to movie consumption," says Bhasin. For those fascinated by crime thrillers like he is, the actor has a suggestion. "The 2002 HBO series, The Wire, was the first show that I had binged on. It was the first time that film budgets [were commissioned] for long-format storytelling on television, making it a path-breaking series. Being a fan of House of Cards, I revisited Borgen, the Danish political thriller that is said to be the inspiration for the American drama. I also relished the animation series, Love Death + Robots."

A still from Stalker

The movie that left an indelible impact on his mind was Tarkovsky's sci-fi offering, Stalker (1979). "It's available on YouTube. In Stalker, Tarkovsky is talking about an apocalyptic world where there are few human beings around and they have to stay away from each other. I was able to relate to it as it almost mirrors our current situation."

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Representational picture

The by-elections to Palghar and Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra began this morning for which all major parties have gone all out as the outcome is likely to have a bearing on their future course. There was no untoward incident at any polling booth so far, police said.

In Palghar, the bypoll was necessitated following the death of BJP's Chintaman Wanaga. The BJP's bickering ally Shiv Sena has fielded the late MP's son Srinivas in a bid to garner the sympathy vote. The BJP has put up former Congress minister Rajendra Gavit. The Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) led by Vasai-Virar strongman Hitendra Thakur is also in the fray with the nomination of its ex-MP Baliram Jadhav.

Kiran Raja Gahla of the CPI-M, which has a base in Talasari and Dahanu, and former MP Damu Shingada (Congress) are also contesting in a multi-cornered fight from the seat reserved for scheduled tribes (ST).
The Sena has accused the BJP of distributing cash to voters. During a rally, Uddhav played an audio clip wherein Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis purportedly exhorted party cadre to win the elections "by all means possible." Fadnavis said the audio recording was doctored.

An editorial in the Sena mouthpiece Saamana today said its nominee will win the Palghar seat, despite the BJP roping in UP CM Yogi Adityanath in the poll campaign. "Lord Ram will emerge from the ballot box, wielding bow and arrow (Sena's symbol) and win this seat," it said.

The constituency includes extended suburbs of Mumbai such as Vasai, Virar, Nalasopara, and Palghar in the newly-created Palghar district. As many as 18 candidates are in fray in Bhandara- Gondia and seven in Palghar. There are total 3,49,1218 voters.

In Palghar, out of the 2,097 polling booths, 14 are listed as critical, while in Bhandara-Gondia, out of 2,149 polling booths, 71 are situated in Naxal-hit areas and 113 are listed as critical.

In Bhandara-Gondia, the BJP and the NCP have locked horns in the bypoll, being held after the resignation of BJP MP Nana Patole. Patole, a leader of the powerful OBC Kunbi community, had switched side from the Congress to the BJP and was elected as an MP from the constituency in Vidarbha in 2014 by defeating former union minister and NCP heavyweight Praful Patel.

The NCP, which has allied with the Congress, has fielded former BJP MLA Madhukar Kukde, against BJP's Hemant Patle, who belongs to the Powar community and is also a former legislator.

Counting of votes will be undertaken on May 31.

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Nalasopara has heaved a big sigh of relief after the arrest of suspected Sanatan Sanstha member Vaibhav Raut, who had allegedly terrorised his neighbourhood with his activities.

According to the police, Raut, who called himself a gau rakshak, has been involved in a series of attacks on butchers in the area every Bakri-eid. Raut allegedly tried to create communal tension, particularly in the neighbouring Sopara village, by harassing locals and carrying out illegal raids on mutton and beef shops.

Every year, the police would extern him from the area for short periods, by serving him notices under section 144 of the Mumbai Police Act; he, however, would stay put by bringing in political influence in the name of cow protection, said an officer, adding that even the police will breathe easy after his arrest.

Living in terror
Sopara village's Muslim community, especially the butchers, lived in fear and insecurity due to Raut's activities — even when beef hadn't been banned by the government, he would go around conducting 'raids' on meat shops and harassing the owners, said a local, Anis Qureshi. Speaking to mid-day, he added, "In 2014, Raut forcibly stopped my tempo in his area and assaulted the driver.

The driver called me and I went to the spot, but Raut and his colleague abused and assaulted me too, saying I was smuggling cow meat. They forcibly took me and my tempo to Nalasopara police station. I have never carried or supplied cow meat; after I showed all the relevant documents to the cops, they let me go and registered a case against Raut and his colleague.

"Large numbers of Muslims as well as gau rakshaks had gathered outside the police station that day... he had succeeded in creating communal tension; clashes could have erupted anytime. Huge police bandobast was then deployed in the area, for the first time in the history of Nalasopara."

Policespeak
"There are two cases of rioting and one of not following the district collector's order registered against Raut at Nalasopara police station. Since 2015, we have been serving him notices to leave the area during Bakri-eid to maintain law and order there," said Datta Totewar, SDPO, Nalasopara Division of Palghar district.

Also Read: Crime: Trio planning 'terror attack' held from Nalasopara, Pune

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With eight murders in seven months, 10 attempt to murder cases and hundreds of incidents of assault, gangland has taken over Bhandup. Fed up with Bhandup police's inefficiency, the top brass shunted out Senior Police Inspector Shrinivas Panhale to the Local Arms division on Tuesday. Ramesh Khade has been posted as the new senior Inspector of the police station.

A week ago, Bhandup was rocked by the brutal murder of 17-year-old Sushil Verma. The Std XII student was killed by a group of teens right outside his college in broad daylight on July 26. While the cops arrested three suspects, the murder sparked a debate about inefficient policing.

Senior Police Inspector Shrinivas Panhale 

"We consistently told the cops about the situation turning from bad to worst in Bhandup, but they didn't pay any attention. This resulted in the murder of a 17-year-old, which could have avoided by increasing patrolling," said Ramesh Khanvilkar, Director of RK BEd College, Bhandup. "Due to the police's lethargy, addiction among youngsters in on the rise," he added.

A public meeting was organised on August 2 to discuss the rising crime. Politicians across parties urged the police to take action against Matka rackets active in Bhandup. Residents urged that rigorous policing is key to reducing the crime rate. Sanjay Dina Patil, ex-MP from the NCP, said, "Bhandup is becoming a den for drug peddlers; the police must act to prevent any future incidents."

More money and 'bhais'
The new senior PI now faces the challenge of cleaning up crime in the growing suburb. There are 15 lakh residents in this jurisdiction, a majority of whom live in illegal hutments. Two year ago, the police had started a special drive against gangsters, and found three gunny bags of swords in the forest on the hillside.

A policeman who had earlier served as a senior police at the Bhandup police station, said, "In Bhandup, there is a lot of SRA work, which has brought money to the area. This has become a catalyst for youngsters to turn gangsters. Increasing hutments on the hills makes it more difficult for cops to enter as well." "In such a situation, the police have to physically start patrolling the area, which will curb crime to some extent, and reduce the flow of narcotics — mainly ganja — in the pipeline area," the officer added.

Since last year…
Shrinivas Panhale had taken charge of the Bhandup police station on May 20, 2017, but couldn't manage to curb crime or drug flow. According to police statistics, last year, till August, not a single murder had been reported, while three cases of attempt to murder were filed. But this year, eight murders and 10 attempts to murder have been registered in the same period.

Murder central
July 26: Sushil Verma was killed by teen over an affair with a girl.
May 3: Birbal Gupta killed his wife Neha in front of their kids after an altercation over attending a wedding
April 24: Ganesh Padekar, 45, murdered a 30-year-old who had thrown garbage on him
March 25: Naresh Shetty, 27, out on bail, was murdered over a love affair
March 24: A 17-year-old stabbed Ramji Rajbhar, 27, when he objected to the minor blowing cigarette smoke on him
March 18: A vegetable vendor and his two sons were killed after a fight or where to set up their stall

Also Read: Sacked cop posed as policeman to extort money from couples at Aksa

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The civic body just can't seem to get its mid-day meals right. It turned out to be a poisonous Thursday at Bhandup's Sahyadri Vidyamandir, after 16 students and a teacher landed in hospital with complaints of stomach ache and vomiting on eating the dal rice served in the school yesterday. While all are stable now, it has once again raised serious concerns over the meal scheme.

The trigger
Though Sumit Dongarkar's mum packs a tiffin for him every day, he looks forward to the brunch served in school, and Thursday was no different, said his mother Sonali, as he loves dal rice.

The 13-year-old and his friends ate the meal with relish during the recess at 9.50 am, but shortly after, trouble started. At first, a Std VII student began vomiting, but soon, more complained of stomach ache and nausea. After other students began throwing up, the school authorities rushed 16 of them, and a teacher, Vidya Lad, who'd tasted the food as per protocol, to Mulund Agarwal Hospital. Sonali Dongarkar said, "Sumit is doing fine now and is under observation."

Who's responsible?
School authorities said that for the last one and a half year, around 700 students have been eating the meals prepared by Lingeshwar Mahila Bachat Gat. Parents told mid-day that VII-C is the first to receive the food every day, and while 16 from the class of 40 took ill, others remained unaffected. "Everybody is stable now. But this has shaken the kids and our trust. Who will take the responsibility for it?" asked Aruna Poojari, a parent.

Another, Aditi Naik, said, "My son, Krish, had a nasal tube attached for a while. He is okay now, but I am going to tell him not to have the meal again." Several parents complained of being kept in the dark about the incident. "The school finishes at 12.30 am. When I went to receive my daughter, she never came out. Then, a friend of hers told me what had happened. I felt dizzy on finding out, but I rushed to the hospital," said Lalita Shinde.

Hospital dean Dr Usha Mohprekar said, "All are stable now. We have moved them to the general ward for observation. Prima facie, it looks like food poisoning. An inquiry will be conducted."

Sampling the fare
Principal Narsingh Mane told mid-day, "The staff were prompt in giving required care to the sick children, all from one division. The food had come from Lingeshwar Mahila Bachat Gat, which has been providing it to us for a while now. So, we are not sure what went wrong. Samples of the food have been submitted to authorities for testing."

BMC education officer Mahesh Palkar said, "We have collected raw as well as cooked food samples from the kitchen of the organisation. The kitchen looked neat and tidy; nonetheless, experts will test the samples to end the inquiry conclusively. Until the investigation report is out, we have ordered the organisation to not supply food; its contract with the civic body will be subject to the probe report.

"The organisation provides mid-day meals to 25 other schools in the vicinity. So, while the investigation is on, all these schools will have to make alternative arrangements."

Also read: 25 students fall ill after consuming mid-day meal at Delhi school, hospitalised

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Vishnudas Bhave. Pic/Premji Sosa

The next time you book your tickets for a play, think of this name: Vishnudas Bhave. An important figure in the history of Indian theatre, Bhave is best known for his pioneering work in the mid-1800s. Born in Sangli, Bhave arrived in Mumbai in 1852, only to change the face of not just Marathi theatre, but the whole infrastructure surrounding the industry. "He didn't invent theatre, but he certainly innovated it," says historian and researcher Murali Ranganathan.

Bhave will form the core of a talk on the modernisation of theatre in Mumbai that Ranganathan will deliver this Friday as part of arts and science conversation platform, Mumbai Local's first curated session by playwright Ramu Ramanathan. For over a decade, Ranganathan has been extensively researching the history and development of the entertainment industry in Mumbai, and this session is a leaf borrowed from the pages of his larger project. He says, "Bhave looked at the theatre infrastructure available in then-Bombay. He decided that, instead of staging plays in the backyards of the rich or through building temporary sheds, where people could just walk in, he could change the non-ticketed scene to actually charging for plays at Grant Road Theatre."

Interiors of Grant Road theatre. Pic/Drama Queens Representation purposes

The Bhave-fication of theatre in Mumbai also meant that people wanted value for money. Before Bhave's arrival, says Ranganathan, instead of tickets, an aarti plate was passed around at the end of a show, on which people would place a patron sum voluntarily. "Buying a ticket meant that audiences expected more from plays. Hence from semi-religious plots, the plays shifted to pure entertainment," he explains. A byproduct of this entertainment factor was the introduction of the genre of farce, in which the foibles of the rich and contemporary issues were critiqued through the veil of humour. Bhave and his company staged farces on widow remarriage, children's education, English missionaries, and, oddly, a cautionary tale to raise awareness on a series of murders of children that happened for robbing them of jewellery.

Stating that he is interested in "excavating" libraries with an archaeologist's enthusiasm, Ranganthan's research draws extensively from news archives. The reason is that Bhave's methods paved the path for previews, reviews, and ads, many of which are to be found in these archives. "Mumbai's theatre scene in the 20th century has been well-researched, but the times before that still need more work," says Ranganathan. He adds that his talk will also cover other theatre groups that followed Bhave's suit, a maverick balloonist who drives mass entertainment, and how practices like yoga caught the modern imagination. It all sounds intriguing, and best heard from Ranganathan himself.

Where: Kitab Khana, Somaiya Bhavan, Flora Fountain, Fort
When: May 18, 5.30 PM
Free
Call: 61702276

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Accepting the futility of genres, of boxing songs into different compartments like stacked products in supermarket shelves, seems to be at the forefront of Rafiq Bhatia's musical endeavour. The 30-year-old American of Indian descent is the guitarist for a New York-based indie outfit called Son Lux. But it's his recent solo album, Breaking English, which makes the listener really question the need for musical boundaries, of sticking labels to a composition as if it's packaged meat.

The title track of the album, for instance, is not jazz, is not electronica, is not lounge, but all of these generic classifications rolled into one lush sound with a coherent narrative, where Bhatia's melancholic guitar plays the role of the protagonist. Each sonic detail in the track is well-defined, to the point where even though fellow Son Lux member Ian Chang's drum beats seem dissonant, they fit like a glove into the overall musical fabric. Bhatia describes this sensibility when he tells us over the phone from Berlin, where he's on tour, "Ryan (Lott, the vocalist for Son Lux) would say that instead of building a house, designing a room and then placing a chair in it, why don't we start with the chair first, and then design the room around it before building the house. There is a theory in poetry called organicism, where the poet lets each individual verse define the form that the poem will take. That is kind of similar to what I'm trying to do with my music."

He further explains his musical process when he narrates a story about one of his influences, Sam Rivers, the late American jazz great. "I've read that he would attend the concerts of all his peers, and purposely study their music to understand what they were trying to do. But this wasn't to replicate what they were playing. Instead, it was to consciously avoid it. Similarly, John Coltrane took the music of his predecessors and retooled the entire musical vocabulary keeping a similar underlying foundation, but with new pathways built on top of it," he says, giving us an indication of how he doesn't hesitate to flush rule books down the toilet.

Hybridity, in fact, lies at the core of Bhatia's creative evolution. The basis for this, he says, might well be his mixed identity. Born in North Carolina, he has never really fit in to any particular community. For, even though his parents are of Gujarati origin, they grew up in Tanzania, before moving to London and then finally to the US. So, while his brown skin stood out among the white kids in his school, he didn't feel completely at home among the Indian community either. "Everybody thinks that I am something else. So, my music is a result of a need to express my identity. It's a form of therapy at some level, because it's also a way of accepting who I am," he says.

He adds that this therapy started early. When he was about eight or nine, the older desi kids in Bhatia's neighbourhood would pick him up in a car and stop at a parking lot, listening to the hip-hop albums that became one of his earliest influences. Was he drawn to them because of the political overtones that such songs often embody? "Not really," he answers, adding, "I was only in the third grade at the time, and I couldn't even understand the words. So it was the musicality that I fell for. But the deeper question is, why were a bunch of brown kids sitting in a car in a parking lot and empathising with hip-hop music? What is it that was drawing them to the words? So you see, it's difficult to disentangle the politics from the music."

It follows thus that an intertwining of politics and music sometimes features in his own compositions. For example, Hoods Up, a complex instrumental piece, drew its inspiration from Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was cruelly shot down because of a case of mistaken identity. The guitarist says, "I feel some amount of compulsion to express my [political] ideas. But sometimes, it's easy to get carried away with being overtly political because there is so much to be angry about, and often the responsibility falls on artistes to emphasise it. So I would say that politics is a general part of what inspires my music, because there are so many other facets of my personality that also make their way in."

Essentially, then, what Bhatia wants to keep doing is create genre-defying tracks where attention to detail is of paramount importance. "When you take the details and all the generalities of music for granted, that's when your songs start sounding more like other people's music. That doesn't mean you can't make great tracks. It's just that the less you consider those things, the less is the chance that you will make music that departs from convention. The flip side is that when you think actively about each decision, and each one comes from a place of individuality, it becomes hard to find a coherent logic that ties all those things together. And that ends up being the riddle that I am constantly trying to solve with my music."

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Gully Boy
U/A: Drama
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Ratings: 

What does it take to so gently bottle up an overflowing volcano like Ranveer Singh, into a completely subdued bloke like Murad? Who is yet someone with such seething anger within, wholly internalised, that you can almost sense his brain inhaling life and surroundings, and exhaling potent words of poetry, in response? It's the script/story, Gully Boy, of course.

Kya bolta hai, bhaay! Lead actor Singh, like this newspaper, grew up in the city this film is set in. He's perhaps, for the first time, playing a character so close to home, and yet so far. For it's also a city that so perennially lives in the cross-section of classes, that all it takes for you to see Bombay and Mumbai at once, is to draw your curtains wide, from any point in the bustling metropolis.

Singh's leading man Murad operates from right at that casual intersection - a college-going temp driver during day (or night), and an amateur rapper, 24x7. There's, on the one hand, plush interiors of high-rise Bombay. And, on the other, stuffy squalor of the city's lower-deck (worthy of poverty tourism), shot by Jay Oza, in a natural gold-dust palette - almost like a dream.

Around these two natural extremes, and with several layers between, Gully Boy is foremost a befitting tribute to Bombay - among very few places in the world where popular art has traditionally existed as possible exit-route for someone born into rags, or resigned to fate/naseeb.

A lot of the times, it's taken a full chawl/slum to raise a star (lyricist, composer, actor, name it). Besides, Internet has made showbiz redundant, making it possible for anyone to pole-vault into stardom, with growing hits, likes, and shares on social media - a fact that was equally well tackled, around a Baroda girl, in Advait Chandan's recent Secret Superstar (2017). And it's the same Internet providing access to inspirations, worldwide.

This is in that sense a global story with a Mumbai heart - totally bereft of any obvious, on-screen self-awareness. Only fair that it should come from director Zoya Akhtar (Luck By Chance, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) who, if I'm not mistaken, first developed deep interest in filmmaking through Mira Nair's iconic Salaam Bombay! (1988).

Not one to make gender distinctions among directors, or indeed actors (talent's talent, of course), but I do feel it is Akhtar's deft touch that allows for the female lead character (25-year-old Alia Bhatt: astoundingly amazing, almost as always), and her life's story and insecurities, to take root, and equally flower within a film that is essentially centred on two Mumbai, local, raapchik Rap artistes.

And there's as much to be said about the fact that while the film entirely belongs to Singh, it's his co-rapper (brilliant debutant Siddhant Chaturvedi), who gets to walk around with all the swag instead. It's the interplay between the main and minor characters, spot-on twang, dialogues (by Vijay Maurya), and indeed a superb play-list (put together by Ankur Tewari) that truly makes this movie, the food of love - at 155 minutes, very much a long main course, too.

Maybe because I watched Gully Boy among an altogether Mumbai audience, or perhaps it would the same anywhere: Never have I observed folk at a press preview periodically break into loud claps during key dramatic sequences, especially given that the scenes have been quite subtly staged, in fact. This is a new kind of 'Angry Young Man' movie, in effect - seamlessly merging sub-culture with pop mainstream.

Also Read: From Scarlet Macaw to Unicorn - Ranveer Singh's flora and fauna inspired clothes are hilarious

People in my hall, or indeed outside it, would have first heard about a booming, Mumbai Rap/Hip-hop underground scene, with open-mic nights, and proper gigs at venues like Anti-social (also referenced in the pic), only a few years ago. It's almost at the same time that stand-up comedies in the city began to draw totally untested, raw greenhorns concentrating on the all-important self-expression - or content (which can't be taught) - and then, delivery (which can be learnt).

Rap, or Rhythm and Poetry, you can tell, similarly opens lines of (a very visceral form of) communication - between heartfelt (often antsy) words, thumping beats, and the crowds that instantly relate to both.

This film, as per its opening slate, is a "shout-out" to budding Mumbai stars Naezy (Naved Sheikh) and Divine (Vivian Fernandes). Their story, and of desi rap itself, is still unfolding, as we speak. When it's written in hindsight, I'm pretty sure, this film will be considered, the high-point, if not the turning point, for the genre, after all!

Also Read: Exclusive: Naezy on Gully Boy: People are looking at us like we're pioneers of Indian hip hop

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A 36-year-old man was arrested for beating his 70-year-old father in Bhandup to death after an argument on Sunday night. According to the police, the man, identified as Sachin Gorivle was having an argument about his employment with the deceased, Krishna, The Times of India reported.

Sachin did odd jobs for a living and was at home since the lockdown due to coronavirus outbreak in March. When Krishna argued with Sachin about his job, the latter attacked the former in a fit of rage. His mother and sister were in a different room when the incident happened.

Krishna was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

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