SUNDAY, AUGUST 27, 2017 (PAGE 4) MOVIE-REVIEW PERSONALITY Eng^ging g^ngster dr^m^ "Never had to give up on good It was a gangster film that catapulted him from the assassin Bhanke (Jatin Goswami), who looks upto him like film role for theatre preoccupation" ranks of 'also-rans' to the big league of Bollywood. a disciple. Over the killings, they develop a bond and Five years after making his mark in the film industry become friends. Do not ever mistake Saurabh Shukla as with 'Gangs of Wasseypur part 2' with the role of Faizal, However, Babu is unaware that Bhanke has a contract any other Bollywood comedian. He is one who avenged the death of his father Sardar Singh (Manoj to kill a fourth man, and that happens to be Babu himself. Bajpayee ), Nawazuddin Siddiqui is back on home turf with In the ensuing shootout, Babu doesn't die. Instead he of the finest actors in Bollywood and his 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz ', a film that tells the story of returns from coma after eight years swearing revenge National Award for his performance of revenge by a gangster for the wrongs done to him. against people who destroyed his life. A revenge drama the small court judge in Jolly LLB is just a It may have been five years since 'Gangs of Wassey- on the lines of gangster films like Gangs of Wasseypur (part pur part 2' but in Babumoshai Bandookbaaz ', Naaazud- I and 2) , 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz ' has all the elements drop in the ocean. Barff, a Hindi play din shows the same spunk and street smartness that he to keep the audience engaged - an engaging screenplay, directed and written by Saurabh Shukla displayed as Faizal in that film. punchy dialogues and raw action and love making scenes. in which he also plays one of the key Though it is not a patch on 'Gangs of Wasseypur ' series and Tarantino films , roles, is being staged very successfully 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz is sure to across the country. In a one-to-one with appeal to the lovers of gangster flicks. Shoma A Chatterji, Shukla holds forth on theatre, cinema, acting and the direction Also the film is full of in which these cultural worlds are flowing. abuses and love making Tell us a little about the play Barff. scenes that had been It is based on a short story by Ranjeet Kapoor. I bought it to make a film but when I got a call from Bharangam to ordered to be removed stage a play, I felt it could be turned into a play. It is a very unusual play produced by Ashvin Gidwani. Barff is a thriller that covers the events of a cold, snowy night in a village in by the Censor Board Kashmir. I play Dr. Siddhanth Kaul, who comes to the aid of two desperate parents of an ailing child persuaded by the before the film appellate cabbie who is driving him around to come and take a look at the child. tribunal allowed them. The press notes and ads tout the play as a thriller. Why? The thriller as a genre is not very popular in Indian the- The first half moves at a fast pace. How- atre. Thrillers are a great medium to tell a story because they ever, the film tends to lag a bit in the sec- not only provide you with an edge-of-the-seat experience, ond half. Director Kushan Nandy, howev- but are more engaging. But as you go along in Barff, it setting and exclusive seclusion that would help construct er, manages to keep the audience hooked moves much beyond the thriller genre bringing across con- illusions, so I chose Kashmir. Unlike everyone who lives in all through the length of the film with its flicting questions of truth, reality and belief. the Kashmir Valley, the people in Maharashtra do not have various twists and turns. Since it is set in a small and deserted village in to face anxiety and a fear of the unknown every minute of Kashmir Valley, would you call it a political play? Also the film is full of abuses and love their lives. I had travelled to Kashmir for the shooting of a The story was not written with the agenda of Kashmir's making scenes that had been ordered to be film. The local people are as beautiful as the place is. While politics. But I believe that a story is never free from the pol- I interacted with them, I could sense volatility in them when removed by the Censor Board before the itics of the land it is set in. At many levels, the beliefs of the film appellate tribunal allowed them. it comes to trust. Villages deserted by the inhabitants in doctor and the Kashmiri couple never meet on common search of safer pastures complemented the demands the Watching the film makes one realise ground. This brings out the larger theme of 'what is truth that it is these scenes that lend an element story made. and what is illusion', something one need not travel to Why do theatre when an actor already has a good of rawness required in a gangster flick. Kashmir to learn. We are faced with this question in our demand in cinema which is more visible, powerful The film also boasts of a excellent back- daily lives too. and paying? ground score. The music of the film is, As an actor and writer on stage and on screen, I never had to give up on a good film role because of my however, ordinary. what differences do you find in these two media? preoccupation with theatre. So when actors say that they do As the sharpshooter Baby out to take For me, a play and a film is the same so far as the writing not do theatre because it might mean giving up on a meaty revenge against those who wrecked his life, of it goes. A film is written three times – once during the film role, they are wrong. For films, I agree that we are all Nawazuddin Siddiqui is outstanding. He scripting, once during the production and once when it is busy actors and I am one of them. Most of it comes from the shows the same spunk and street smart- being edited on paper and later on film. For me, theatre passion we have for our work. We must also earn from act- demands the same industry and focus. So far as acting on Directed by Kushan Nandy, 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz ness that he brought to screen as Faizal in ing. But as actors, theatre allows us to grow, to develop and stage goes, for me the writer stopped the moment I decided ' is the story of sharpshooter Babu Bihari(Nawazuddin Sid- 'Gangs of Wasseypur part 2'. not to get stuck in the groove with similar roles in umpteen the story was good enough to go on stage. I then had to think films. diqui). Babu Bihari is usually hired by two rival politicians, While in that film, he was part of an ensemble cast, in like a director, how to amalgamate various elements like set Has commercial cinema changed in recent Dubey (Anil George) and Sarita jiji (Divya Dutta) to elim- 'Babumoshai', he is the main protagonist and does a good job in carrying the film on his shoulders. design and lighting and visually translate the script. But in times? inate their rival opponents. theatre, actors play a huge role in interpreting the larger pic- Bidita Bag is brilliant as Phulwa and lends the required Yes, of course it has. You have mainstream films which While executing one of his contracts, he meets and falls ture, serving as a micro-view to the subject. Switching roles have wonderful stories and span a multiple of genres. Films boldness to her character. Jatin Goswami has done a good in love with Phulwa (Bidita Bag). In fulfilling a contract needed to be very fluid. like Paan Singh Tomaar, Jolly LLB, Neerja and Dangal are for Phulwa, he kills two men that turns Saritaji against job as Bhanke. The rest of the cast, including Divya Dut- Why choose Kashmir of all places? all mainstream films made on big budgets with big stars. him. ta, Shraddha Das, Anil George, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Barff was originally set against a rainy day in Malshej But their storylines, treatment and strategy do not fall with- During another contract for Dubey where he has to kill Murli Sharma and Bhagwan Tiwari also managed to Ghat, which gets secluded during the monsoons. But I felt in the ‘mainstream’ as we know it. This is a quality theatre three men of Sarita, he has to compete with a younger impress. the story and characters demanded a more-than-normal already has grown with. (TWF) HEALTHLINES S. Compound M^n^ging Menstru^l cycle A ray of hope for arthritis Excelsior Correspondent suffering from arthritis of the knee joint. The doctors at Ahmedabad and Delhi advised number of painkillers and Thanks to ancient science Ayurveda which came up with physiotherapy treatment but without any significant relief. a unique wonder drug under the name of S.Compound. Finally the doctors at the Central Government Health Work on herb was started in the year 1974 and ultimate- Scheme, Delhi prescribed the drug "S.Compound" an ly it was confirmed that the herb has great potential in Ayurvedic medicine manufactured by Jammu based com- inflammatory conditions. However, its role on arthritis was pany Rahul Pharma.