SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2019 (PAGE 4)

MOVIE-REVIEW NATURE A funny take on the modern relationships Termites are beneficial

LUKA CHUPPI is the story of a couple living-in with their a comedy, it’s also going to make a social comment. Audi- Maneka Gandhi that it will keep reseeding the environment. These mounds prevent fragile dry land from slipping into lifeless wasteland. family. Superstar Nazim Khan (Abhinav Shukla) gets into a ences however will go by the trailer and they expect to see When my husband died, I inherited his work table, a long Termites have been historically widely eaten by people suf- controversy when it comes to light that he is living-in with his romance and some dash of situational fun. And they definite- wooden desk with huge drawers. It has travelled with me from fering from malnutrition due to protein deficiency, fed to ani- girlfriend and is unapologetic about it. The moral police come ly get that once the characters get introduced. At the same house to house and I kept everything of value in it : letters out in full force to protest against his 'indecent' act. One such time however the film takes a while to get into its element. from my husband, wedding albums, unfinished manuscripts, mals, and used as medicine across the continents of Asia, organisation is Rashtriya Sanskriti Manch and in Mathura, it The falling-in-love happens quite quickly. The way the equa- pictures of my childhood and my son’s childhood, letters from South America and Africa. In fact, these insects are among the is led by Vishnu Trivedi (Vinay Pathak). His daughter is Rash- tion between Guddu with Vikas and Babulal is established my mother and mother in law. most commonly consumed insects on the planet, second only mi () and she joins a local news channel after com- seems forced. In fact the dream sequence where Guddu imag- When I moved into 14 Ashoka Road in 2002 , The British- to grasshoppers. In a survey on the consumption of termites, pleting her media studies in Delhi. Here she bumps into Gud- ines that his nephew Chiku is getting married falls flat. It’s in built house had been the badly kept and was the office of the held in Côte d’Ivoire, from 500 people surveyed, 97% con- du () and both fall in love. After a fight with his the scene where the Gwalior neighbours create a havoc is Communist Party for 30 years. I should have paid more atten- sumed termites, demonstrating that such use is part of the elder unmarried brother Vikas (Himanshu Kohli) and broth- when the film picks up. This particular scene is quite hilari- tion to it, especially when I saw the fungus seeping in and ter- reality of rural and urban populations in that country. er in law Babulal (), he decides to tie the knot ous and even heroic and will be greeted with claps. The inter- mites eating the doors. But every time I called the government Zambia uses termites to combat child malnutrition, Soma- ASAP. He proposes to Rashmi. She however refuses to mar- mission point, when Guddu-Rashmi’s ‘’ gets engineers in, they either replaced the doors or painted over lia to suture wounds. Brazil uses termites for asthma, flu, ry him so soon and insists on a live-in relationship. Guddu exposed (though not entirely) is also quite entertaining. Post- the fungus. bronchitis and as antifungal, India uses them for asthma, obviously freaks out. However inspired by an idea given by interval, the film gets even better as Guddu and Rashmi pre- I tried lots of old grandmother remedies : planting banana ulcers, body pain, rheumatism and the enhancement of lac- their colleague Abbas (), they decide to tend to be married when they are not. The sequence at the trees in the garden, as this is supposed to keep away termites, tation. Nigeria uses termites to stop sickness in pregnant live in when they go on a 20-day assignment at Gwalior, where temple is quite impressive, especially when it brings a new putting fresh cow dung patties in different places so that ter- women, soothsaying and to ward away ghosts! no one knows them. Hence they could live in without any fear. angle into the film. Guddu-Rashmi attempting to get married mites would be attracted and then, as they clambered on, we Termites of the species Macrotermes have high levels of But in order to get the flat on rent, they pretend to be a mar- in their house is touching and yes, guffaw-inducing. The best could get rid of all of them. however is reserved for the finale. Usually, One day I decided to finish my book on garden plants. But comic capers tend to go all over the place. For- I couldn’t get the drawers to open. When I called the carpen- tunately in the case of LUKA CHUPPI, it does- ter in, we discovered everything had been eaten by termites n’t happen and it ends on a good note. – and I mean everything. In one stroke I lost all my treasures. Kartik Aaryan once again is in a great form. I cried. I had the house broken down from inside and de- His boyish looks work instantly but it’s his per- termited room by room. It took 16 months. formance that makes it even more endearing. So many people ask me questions about why nature invent- In one scene in the bedroom with Kriti and ed mosquitoes, cockroaches or termites! Even though termites Aparshakti, he does go into the ‘monologue’ zone but quickly composes himself. His silent, have robbed me of my most precious belongings, I acknowl- deadpan expressions, especially in scenes edge that they are more important to the world than I am. when his family members are calling him Pests to homeowners, they are actually beneficial insects. names, are quite hilarious. Kriti Sanon has a They can digest tough plant fibres, or cellulose, because of the fantastic screen presence and maintains a specialized bacteria in their guts. They break down tough strong position. She also surprisingly shines in fibres, they recycle dead trees back into the soil, contributing an important emotional sequence in the sec- towards a rapid recycling and turn-over of minerals. When ond half. Aparshakti Khurana as always is they tunnel through the soil they aerate and improve it, which dependable. The prejudice that others have helps tropical forests and agricultural lands grow faster as towards his character’s religious identity is water and nutrients reach the plants and trees. Some species quite hard hitting. Pankaj Tripathi’s humour attack living trees, but these are trees that are weakened, or seems forced initially but later, it’s him who under stress, which release a chemical (kairomone) used by raises the maximum laughs. Vinay Pathak is a the termites to locate it. ried couple. Rashmi also has to go out wearing mangalsutra revelation. Till now, he has been associated with funny and Only a handful of the 3,000 or so known termite species proteins and lipids and are abundant in Africa. They are and apply sindoor. All is going well when Babulal catches light roles. But in this film, he plays a role of a dreaded politi- are pests to people. The rest are soil engineers who create the known as “big termites”, and are considered one of the them getting cosy in a public place. Assuming they are mar- cian and he looks very convincing. Himanshu Kohli is the sur- ground under your feet and keep it healthy. Termites thrive by favourite foods, not only of humans but also of gorillas and ried, he tells his family about it and they all land up at their prise of the film and his character helps a lot in adding to the eating what others can’t or won’t: wood, dung, lichen, even dirt. chimpanzees and wild birds. pad in Gwalior. What happens next forms the rest of the film. humour quotient in the film, especially post-interval. Vish- By poking holes as they dig through the ground, termites Their mounds, or termitaria, are also important to Rohan Shankar's story is novel and entertaining and dif- wanath Chatterjee (Guddu's brother Varun) and Neha Saraf allow rain to soak deep into the soil, rather than running off humans. For instance, researchers E.Arhin, M.C.Esoah and ferent from other such films in this genre. The characters are (Guddu's bhabhi Janki) also get a chance to make their pres- or evaporating. Termites mix inorganic particles of sand, B.S.Berdie, have studied the Economic Importance of Termi- very well fleshed out and most importantly, they are relat- ence felt. Chiku (Master Samarth) is adorable. Sapna Sand stone and clay with organic bits of leaf litter, discarded taria in Mineral Exploration. Termites transport deep seated able. Rohan Shankar's screenplay is effective for most parts (Mrs Srivastava) is good as the nosy neighbour in Gwalior. exoskeletons and the occasional dead animal, a blending that inorganic and organic material into their shelter. In areas and evokes the right humour. At some places however, it is a Ajit Singh (Srikanth) is irritating as Vishnu Trivedi’s sidekick helps the soil retain nutrients and resist erosion. where minerals are not immediately apparent, miners analyse bit weak, especially in the first half. In the attempt to estab- but that was the idea as his character has a villainous tinge. The stickiness of a termite’s faeces gives body to the soil the soil of termite mounds before choosing the area. Often lish the setting and the dynamics between the characters, the Atul Srivastava (Guddu’s father Badriprasad) and Alka Amin and prevents erosion. Bacteria in the termite’s gut are avid gold has been found in the samples. writer seems to have done a bit of a rushed job. On the posi- (Guddu’s mother Shakuntala) are decent. Abhinav Shukla is nitrogen fixers, able to extract the vital element from the air The mounds are vast, clean, well ventilated with cool cir- tive side, a few scenes are exceptional and would surely be okay and ideally, the makers should have cast a superstar in and convert it into fertilizer. culating air - palaces built of tunnels and galleries of sand, loved. Rohan Shankar's dialogues are funny. Thankfully, his place. Termites, and the elaborate habitats they construct, are cru- clay and termite excretions. The mounds protect their there are no dialogues with double entendre. There are only recreated songs in the film which is a first. cial to the health of deserts and semi-deserts, tropical and sub- builders from the sun that would desiccate them, the rain that Laxman Utekar's direction is good but could have been 'Poster Lagwa Do', the biggest song of the film, is shockingly tropical rain forests, warm, temperate woodlands. At least 126 would drown them, and their many predators. The mounds better. The script gets a bit off in the first half and his direc- missing from the film and is played during the end credits. species of termites (including wood feeding ones) feed on 18 are refuges for plants, fungi and large herbivores, too. They are cooler in the heat of day and warmer at night. Antelopes tion does not do much to polish the minuses. But he gets bet- This might disappoint its fans. 'Coca Cola' is also played dur- species of mammal dung and can quickly remove large often congregate around termite mounds to graze. Cheetahs ter as the film progresses. One of the best parts of the film is ing the end credits and its foot tapping. 'Photo' and 'Duniyaa' amounts. As termites bring large quantities of dung below the come to remain cooler during the day. Elephants rub itchy how it addresses a taboo topic and yet makes it mainstream. are fine while 'Tu Laung Main Elaachi' is melodious. Ketan soil surface and enrich soils with nutrients, dung feeding by backsides against them. In the past, we have had films based on live-in like say OK Sodha's background score has a funny touch that instantly termites is important in the functioning of tropical ecosystems. They don’t run about, push and shove, climb over the fall- JAANU [2017] but it was a niche product as majority of the make the proceedings light-hearted. Researchers at Princeton University report, in the journal country just couldn’t relate to it. Laxman however executes On the whole, LUKA CHUPPI is a funny take on the mod- en. They file into a single formation and follow the ones in Science, that termite mounds serve as oases in the desert, front in a unidirectional flow at a uniform speed and spacing. the plot well and the message comes out loud and clear. As a ern relationships laced with dollops of situational and funny allowing the plants that surround them to persist on a frac- result, this film has a wider appeal and thanks to humour and moments. This clean comedy would get thumbs up not just If one termite stumbles, or slows down, those behind stop and tion of the annual rainfall and to bounce back after a wither- wait for it to right itself: No trampling allowed. treatment. from the youngsters but also from the family audiences. Rec- ing drought. Even when desertification starts to happen in the LUKA CHUPPI begins on a surprising note, showing the ommended! Unfortunately we build our homes from termite food — area, the vegetation on or around the mounds does so well wood. And I am still heartbroken. Nazim Khan controversy. It makes it clear that besides being Courtesy :https://www.bollywoodhungama.com

BOLLYWOOD-BUZZ "I do films worthy of SNAKE diversity of my time and money" Sujoy Ghosh's Badla is going to reunite Jammu CITY actress Taapsee Pannu and acting legend Amit Sharma gencies and have also been provided with the snake Amitabh Bachchan, who had earlier wowed tongs and boxes, since then the SPG have safely cap- cine-goers as a pair with their lawyer- A SOS phone call on November 11 at around 8:00 am, the tured the snakes and handed over to the wildlife caller in a highly tensed voice said that there is a snake in my department. And such training has also been given to client relationship in 2016 Hindi film Pink. Dressing table, although I was equally shocked that how the staff of Jammu Tawi Golf Club so that the snakes Some of the excerpts of Pannu's interaction come a snake sneaked into a dressing table in the bedroom. can be safely rescued from the club area. The Man Animal Conflict Resoultion Team (MACRT) of the The 530 number of snakes that have been rescued with media in recent times Wildlife Division Jammu was deputed, which reached the belong to 13 species, out of these, three species are complainer house within 25 minutes. The first call that I poisonous in nature i.e Cobra, Russell's Viper and recieved from the team member was that the Snake in the Common Indian Krait. About 95 no. of cobras (Spec- dressing table is a "Spectacled Cobra", highly poisonous neu- tacled cobra and Black Cobra), 82 no. of Russell's rotoxic. The trained team safely rescued the Spectacled Cobra Viper, 2 no. of Krait have been rescued. The 11 non- and was brought to Manda Deer Park to be released in the poisonous species of snakes have also been rescued forest area. which includes Indian Pythons (23 no.), Royal or Dia- On the Earth, there are about 2800 known species of dem Snake, Common Wolf Snake, Common Rat snakes out of which 375 species are known to be poisonous. Snake, Cat Snake, Checkered Keelback Snake, Rus- India has vast potential and rich diversity of snake fauna of sell's Earth Boa, Common Sand Boa, Common Band- which 242 species have been identified including 52 poison- ed Kukri and Trinket. ous. Out of these 52 known poisonous species, only 4 species The snakes have been rescued from the Snake are refered as "Deadliest" i.e Indian cobra, Common krait, Charmers in and around the temples in Jammu City Russell's viper, Saw-scaled viper. and also from the Katra area, as keeping snakes in Snakes are highly specialized of all the reptiles in exis- captivity is a violation of the provisions of "The Jam- You have teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan for tence and the poisonous snakes are the zenith of their spe- mu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act 1978 AA the second time in your career. How would you react cialization. Snakes are elongated, legless, carnivorous rep- 2002." For every SOS call either routed through to this? tiles and can be found on every continent except Antarctica, Police Control Rooms or directly to any Official of the I would tell fans that both of us have been cast with a par- in the sea, and as high as in the Himalayan Mountains like Wildlife Department, whose mobile numbers have ticular purpose for this film after Pink. The purpose of the the Laventine Snake (coffin snake or gunas in Kashmiri and been mentioned in the Department Website, there is film is not to relive the lawyer-client relationship which was Himalayan Pit Viper of Dachigam National Park. Snakes use a very quick response. The MACRT is highly trained shown in Pink. The kind of characters we have portrayed in smell to track their prey. They smell by using their forked team headed by a Block Officer and other staff and is Badla are completely different from the ones in Pink. I think tongues to collect airborne particles, then passing them to equipped with Snake Tongs (snake catching sticks), Sujoy (director Sujoy Ghosh) has a huge responsibility on his the vomeronasal organ or Jacobson's organ in the mouth for boxes and a tata moible rescue vehicle. For every call shoulder. In Badla, the character sketches are completely dif- examination. The fork in the tongue gives snakes a sort of recieved the information is entered in a data sheet like ferent except the lawyer-client terminology. directional sense of smell and taste simultaneously. They the phone number of the caller, name of the caller, keep their tongues constantly in motion, sampling particles What kind of response did you get after the trailer time of complaint, team head, rescue/capture time, from the air, ground, and water, analyzing the chemicals launch? address and most importantly the GPS Location of the found, and determining the presence of prey or predators in I am getting responses that the film is very interesting and site. The GPS location is latter on plotted on the the local environment. Google Earth so as to have an idea of snake's distri- thrilling. One common thing I keep hearing is that, after a The underside is very sensitive to vibration. This allows dormant as they have no mechanism to keep warm. Bruma- long time, a murder-thriller type of film is coming. One thing bution, location, habitat type and of the surroundings from tion is in fact an extreme slowing down of their metabolism. snakes to be able to sense approaching animals by detecting where it has been rescued. I would like to say that audience must not take a break in the faint vibrations in the ground. The cobras, vipers, and close- Snakes are awake, but just very lethargic so you don't see middle of the film while watching. If they do, it would be ly related species use venom to immobilize or kill their prey. GPS LOCATIONS PLOTTED ON THE GOOGLE EARTH. them moving around. Snakes will crawl into any area free impossible for them to understand the sequence of events. The venom is modified saliva also called as "Super Saliva", The snakes have a very important role in our ecosystem, from frost such as caves, hollow logs, holes under trees and stumps, under wood piles, in other animal's burrows, and You have acted in films like Pink, Mulk, delivered through fangs. Snakes are strictly carnivorous, eat- as they keep a check on the population of rats and other ani- Manmarziyaan in recent times. What kind of mals that can be preyed upon, it was thought that these occasionally in a person's basement. The snakes are being ing small animals including lizards, frogs, other snakes, small rescued during the winter season i.e. in the months of Decem- thought process you go through while choosing mammals, birds, eggs, fish, snails or insects. Because snakes snakes be displayed to the visitors of Manda Deer Park for scripts? the education purpose and awreness, that all the snakes are ber, January and February also, may be because of climate cannot bite or tear their food to pieces, they must swallow change or more specific impact of global warming that needs I do films which are worthy of my time and money. I prey whole. not posionous and do not posses threat to humans, untill and unless threatened. The permission was given by the Chief to scientifically investigate. judge whether audience's money and time will be worth it or In the last two and half years the MACRT has rescued more With the latest technologies, new tools are available to not. There is no point in doing a film which is not worth to be than 530 number of snakes from the Jammu City alone, from Wildlife Warden J&K Govt. to construct a Snake Enclosure in the Manda Deer Park wherein the snakes rescued be dis- keep one's premises off the snakes, but till those technolo- watched at the theatre houses. every nook and corner of the city i.e Shastri Nagar, Gandhi played to the visitors. The four snake enclosure were con- gies are disseminated to all, the Department of Wildlife Pro- In Badla, your character's life turns upside down. Nagar, Pacca Danga, Jain Bazar, Panjthirthi, Panama Chowk, struced wherein four species of snakes have been kept for dis- tection is working 24x7 to keep the public safe from the Jullaka Mohalla, Janipur, Roop Nagar - from the lawns, ter- Did you ever felt such in life? play, the snakes are not kept too long in the snake enclosures snakes and vice versa. In this regard the instructions have There are multiple occasions when I feel such. Every races, water tanks, kitchens, bed rooms, shoe racks, almirahs, as these are replaced by the new rescued snakes i.e. whenev- been issued by Sh. Suresh Kumar Gupta (IFS), Chief Wildlife morning when I wake up, I read the messages and get dressing table and even to the headlight of a motorcycle. Once er a snake is rescued it is kept in the snake enclsoure while Warden, J&K Govt. to the Wildlife Wardens to equip the stressed out thinking whether I had said something mistak- a Black Cobra which got stuck in the melted black top (because the previous one in the display is released back in the forest MACRT with the snake boots, snake bite protection gloves, enly or not. So I had experienced such things many times. of high tempertaure) of a road was also rescued and a Spec- area. For the knowlegde of the visitors the sign boards of Do's snake hooks, search lights and the light snake boxes. Did you get a chance to meet Shah Rukh Khan tacled Cobra which got stuck to the rat catching glue board and Don'ts incase of Snake Bite has also been installed. The It is requested to all, that killing a snake is no solution but who is the producer of the film? was also safely rescued by the MACRT. These snakes have also snake enclosure has become a major attarction for the visi- an offence, under "The Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protec- No. I met him after the shooting was over at his Diwali been rescued from the highly fortified VVIP's residences, tors in Manda Deer Park. tion Act 1978 AA 2002". It is better to call the officials of the party. The way he introduced me was overwhelming. The schools, colleges, govt. offices and private complexes. The Snakes often disappear during the cold winter months wildlife department or the police control room and keep an manner of making one feel important is his trademark. I am Department of Wildlife Protection i.e. the Wildlife Division and do not actually hibernate, rather they become less active eye on the snake, the MACRT will rescue the snake in the waiting to hear from him whether he liked the film or not. Jammu, has given training to the staff of security personnel during cold weather called as "Brumation". The cold-blood- shortest possible time. The wildlife too has a right to live. (The author is Assistant Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) (IBNS-TWF) of the Chief Minister to capture the snakes in case of emer- ed animals like snakes need to spend the winter in-active or