LIFESTYLE37 TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 2014 Music & Movies Review Gloomy, glorious ‘Les Miz’ hits Broadway he barricades have once again gone up on tale. Karimloo, a Mackintosh favorite in London, makes a Broadway. Are they worth dropping everything and tremendous Broadway debut, starting out as a feral, Tjoining this time? The answer is a resounding “Oui!” muscular animal out of chains and leaving an unsteady Bring your flag. The well-traveled “Les Miserables” has old man in grace. rolled into town for its third bite at the Broadway apple - His falsetto sung prayer “Bring Him Home” is sublime. not to mention fresh off a celebrated 2012 film - but Swenson is ramrod straight as Inspector Javert, a man so there’s nothing tiresome about its gloomy, aching heart- in control of his emotions that even his speech is hyper- beat. Directed this time by Laurence Connor and James punctuated. Unrelenting and stingy with mercy, Powell, with new orchestrations, stagecraft and costumes, Swenson has the slightly unhinged quality of a blood- this terrific “Les Miserables” opened Sunday at the Imperial hound, a performance that explains why he must take Theatre, capping a national tour that began in 2010. desperate measures when doubt creeps in. It’s beautifully sung and acted - Ramin Karimloo, Will Levy as the doomed Fantine is lovely and her “I Swenson, Caissie Levy and Nikki M. James as leads can do Dreamed a Dream” mixes rage and pitifulness into a tour no wrong - and the clever sets, superb lighting and mov- de force. Samantha Hill as Cosette, James as Eponine ing projections highlight a creative team fully embracing and Andy Mientus as Marius are glorious in their roman- Victor Hugo’s epic novel about good and evil, revolution tic triangle. Even the little kids in the cast are cool. With and romance, in 19th-century France. It boasts music by so many scenes veering toward the overwrought, the Claude-Michel Schonberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer directors have wisely offered comedic moments - a mas- Indian filmmaker Major Ravi makes a point during the interview. and original French text by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc terful “Master Of The House” led by the ribald Cliff Natel. Producer Cameron Mackintosh was sold on reviv- Saunders and Keala Settle - and ones to reflect quietly, ing the show after learning that set designer Matt Kinley as in the simple, ghostly, candlelit Marius-sung “Empty was inspired by the paintings of Hugo, which are often Chairs at Empty Tables.” brooding, eerie and romantic. There is a cinematic quality to this production - Friendship in the line of fire His images of Paris infuse the production - augment- though it predates the Tom Hooper film version - that ed by enough fog to host a heavy metal festival - and, includes fast scene changes and even the title superim- together with golden beams of lighting by Paule posed on the back wall, in case we needed reassurance Constable, leave the actors looking a bit like they’re in which show was on. The barricades are smartly backlit paintings themselves. Projections by Fifty-Nine and the action spills into the theater’s box seats. The hits Major Ravi scoffs at new generation ‘flicks’ Productions are subtle until brilliant, especially the keep coming, and thanks to reprises, keep coming: “I plunge into the sewers in Act 2. There is no massive spin- Dreamed a Dream,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and By Sajeev K Peter and we are waiting for summer. ‘Picket film became such a big hit that even I ning turntable on the stage, as in previous incarnations, “One Day More.” The melodies are as grandiose as the 43’ is slated for an Onam release,” he could not match it with any of my but it isn’t missed. story. And here, the voices and look of the show won- omewhere in an icy terrain on said. other movies,” Ravi said. Thanks to a Karimloo stars as Jean Valjean, the former prisoner derfully match. Bring your flag.—AP the India-Pakistan border, two Major Ravi, who has so far directed two-decade-long experience in the No. 24601 who is the moral center of Hugo’s historical Ssoldiers face each other. The sol- six full-fledged feature films, most of Indian Army, he became a military diers, seemingly enemies at a hostile them multilingual, is also planning a consultant for many Indian films. He frontier, faced with isolation, an new family drama soon with Mohanlal has worked with celebrities like extreme climate and boredom, find playing the lead. “It will tell the tale of Priyadarshan, Rajkumar Santhoshi, solace in each other’s company. a strong family bonding,” he informed. Kamal Haasan, and Mani Ratnam. Sharing a common destiny, they Major Ravi has come a long way Major Ravi was also part of the become friends and emotionally from an ordinary army soldier to a mission codenamed ‘Operation One- bond. well-known Indian filmmaker. Ravi eyed Jack’ commissioned to capture Indian filmmaker Major Ravi’s new says, “I joined the Indian army as a sol- suspects of Rajiv Gandhi assassina- movie ‘Picket 43’, tells the gripping dier in 1975 and passed out as an offi- tion. His face-to-face encounters in story of the two soldiers and a dog cer after graduation in 1984.” He the case inspired him to make his sec- and their extraordinary camaraderie joined the Military Academy and was ond film ‘Mission 90 Days’ in 2007. It on the volatile border. admitted into the national security was based on his own experiences of As the story evolves, the Indian sol- guards. “I became a black cat com- the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. dier, played by Prithviraj, battles to mando and participated in many mili- “Now my prediction has come true. Our country’s prime minister was assassinated and the killers were freed after 20 years. Now, we ask our- selves the same old question after 20 years. Who killed Rajiv Gandhi? If these people have killed him, why did you leave them? Can anybody come to India, kill our prime minister and walk off after 20 years?” Major Ravi’s movies invariably dwell on one common theme: patri- otism. “Above caste and creed, there is one spirit that binds all Indians. It is patriotism,” he reasons. ‘Mission 90 Days’ followed his oth- er movies such as ‘Kurukshetra’, ‘Kandahar’ and ‘Karma Yodha’. New generation flicks Ravi said new generation movies are just an excuse for some people to Indian actors Prithviraj and Jaaved Jaffrey (right) at the location of churn out mediocre films and get ‘Picket 43’. away with them. “I have yet to under- stand the concept behind these new save the life of his Pakistani counter- tary operations in Punjab and Kashmir generation movies. There was a wave part, played by Jaaved Jaffrey, on the between 1988 and 1991. I won a gal- when Shakeela movies were made. other side of the fence. lantry award from the Indian presi- Even superstars were scared of her “It is yet another army thriller with dent,” he said. films. But it was a momentary craze, all those war sequences and all,” says When asked what brought him lasting only one or two years. Today, Major Ravi. “But it poses a question. If into the world of glamour and glitz, Shakeela is not there, but superstars these two soldiers who you call ene- Ravi replied, “I always had a flair for are there,” he explained. mies can become friends and die for movie-moving. I used to watch a lot of He cited the example of Mohanlal- each other, why can’t India and films. After my voluntary retirement starrer ‘Drishyam’ that broke all collec- Pakistan have the same kind of rela- from the army, I worked as an assis- tion records. “People are there to tionship? Why can’t they start extend- tant director with Priyadarshan and watch good films always,” he added. ing their hands of friendship instead did some minor roles in a few Talking about his foray into real of fighting?” Malayalam films.” estate, Ravi said “Man’s greed knows In conversation with Kuwait Times Major Ravi made his debut film no limit. But at the end of the day, during an interview, Ravi said, “In any ‘Punarjani’, a children’s movie in 2002 you have to limit yourself to some six- country, it is not the soldiers who start in which Mohanlal’s son played the feet of land”. Major Ravi arrived in a war. It is the decision-makers who main role. The film won many acco- Kuwait as the brand ambassador of ‘Homeland’ actor James start it for their own ‘geopolitical rea- lades including the award for best ‘Elam development project’ which is sons’. But in the process, soldiers have child artist. coming up in Munnar, Kerala. “Why to sacrifice their lives and people lose shouldn’t we be a part of a project their money,” he said, summing up the Path-breaking and make use of the opportunity to Rebhorn dies at 65 message of the movie underlining the Major Ravi’s first feature film ‘Keerti enjoy nature’s serenity?” he asks. need to avert wars. Chakra’ (2006), a film on Kashmir mili- ames Rebhorn, the prolific charac- played astringent authorities, like the “The shoot in snow season is over tancy, became a blockbuster. “The ter actor whose credits included headmaster in “Scent of a Woman” or J“Homeland,” “Scent of a Woman” the Secretary of Defense in and “My Cousin Vinny,” has died. He “Independence Day.” On Showtime’s Review was 65.