IS JOURNALISM IN INDIA SOLD OUT? A MAGNA PUBLICATION BRANDS SPECIAL SHAME HOW CELEBRITIES DEAL WITH IT SHARMILA TAGORE'S DISCOVERING THE REAL INTO THE SEPIA TINTED STYLE SECRETS GIRISH KARNAD LIFE OF DOM MORAES 26 When the Titans Fall A number of high-profile personalities have had run-ins with the judicial system and have borne brickbats for it. How have they coped with the loss of honour, and will they ever resurrect? Society chalks their career highs and prison lows. PHOTOGRAPH: NAVEEN SHARMA PHOTOGRAPH: NAVEEN By Manali Shah 38 22 46 The Vision behind the Lens Timeless Charm The Uncommon Man As more and more cinematographers Sharmila Tagore is one of those few In a candid chat, the legendary get a taste of public recognition actresses who are always stylishly playwright, actor and director and mass popularity, Nishad turned out. The veteran actress gives Girish Karnad, reflects on his life Shinde speaks with leading her take on the fashion in the film choices and colourful career. cinematographers to find out what industry these days. Divya J Shekhar tries to decode the they make of the development. By Ekatmata Sharma. genius and what drives him. EDITORIAL EDITOR Suchitra Iyer ASSISTANT EDITOR Ujwal Salokhe RESIDENT EDITORS Meeta Mishra (Delhi); Anupama Bijur (Bangalore); CSS Latha (Chennai); Nandini R Penna (Hyderabad); Kakoli Poddar, Sudeshna Chakravarty (Kolkata) 88 54 SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Srividya Menon Stark Realities Is Journalism Sold Out? CORRESPONDENTS Manali Shah (Mumbai); Ujwal Salokhe interviews As we read the news of more and Martin DeSouza, Prashant Rane (New York); award-winning photojournalist, more coporates buying out media Ekatmata Sharma, Ngathingpei Khayi, Trisha Mahajan (Delhi); Divya J Shekhar (Bengaluru) Sudhakar Olwe, whose work on houses, Srividya Menon writes EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR Catherine Fernandes about the disturbing trend of the conservancy workers and Kamathipura SENIOR ARTIST Uday Gaikar will tug at your heartstrings. muzzling of the Indian media. 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SEND ALL Subscription inquiries/address changes to [email protected] Fax: 0207 224 2699, Email: [email protected] USA & Canada: Magna Publishing Inc. Magna Publishing Inc., 125 Central Park North, PH - 4, New York, NY 10026, Tel: (212) 725 7833, Fax: (212) 889 3250 All objections disputes, differences, claims and proceedings are subject to Mumbai jurisdiction. Email: [email protected] Charm Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore shares her views on fashion in films today and compares it to the trends that existed in her hey days BY EKATMATA SHARMA harmila Tagore’s butterfly knot blouses, elaborate real zari at that time, which is now quite prohibited, and the bouffant, long eyelashes, arched eyebrows, winged designs were exquisite. Bhanu Athaiya crafted the special layered Seyeliner and her various other attires had stunned many sari drape that became famous as the Mumtaz sari. I remember in those days. From her body-hugging suits and curvy dresses my knotted blouses in Waqt, which had made me feel quite to her daring bikini act in An Evening in Paris, every style gawkish then, but now I realise that they translated into wearable of hers became a fashion statement. And, even today, her trends. Certain looks and clothes have remained over the years elegant chiffon saris, and her easy yet classic style make her a and people have remembered that.” trendsetter for the woman of her age and era. The elegant lady recalls how before every scene in the film, While she was a fashion icon in the ’60s and the ’70s, she the costume designer, the director and the actress discussed believes times have changed drastically and that films and fashion what to wear and she insists that a lot of inspiration came have come too close to each other. “Bollywood was performance- from Hollywood. “When it came to the western outfits that I oriented and not just about fashion statements,” she says, adding, wore in films like An Evening in Paris, there was actually a “Cinema has always been a defining factor for the fashion sense lot of creativity. I wore all kinds of clothes in the film, like the of the common man. During the era of black and white films, cabaret costume, apsara costume, et al. In fact, at times, when there were only a handful of designers, including Bhanu Athaiya, film budgets were really tight and the producer couldn’t afford Leena Daru and others. Gradually, with the advent of colour, a designer, the actresses had to wear their own clothes,” she fashion reached a different level. Indian clothes were mainly in says of the good old days. BY DIVYA J SHEKHAR The Uncommon hen Sachin Tendulkar retired a few months ago, the entire nation—awestruck and tearful—bid him W a grand adieu. As India hailed a legend, I was busy preparing myself for a story about another. A few days later, at the appointed time, I enter Girish Karnad’s quaint home in Bengaluru. The conversation takes me back to three words that flashed across the scoreboard after Sachin’s swan song— ‘Legends Never Retire’. So, when the septuagenarian tells me that his theatre and films remain alive even after his retirement, I know exactly what he’s talking about. Karnad says he’s fortunate to be one among the first Society discovers generation of playwrights of the post-Independence period. the person behind His plays and films alike have been enjoyed by people for their novelty, and a healthy mix of myth, realism, entertainment the personality and education. But, when it comes to Karnad as a person, of the legendary people have a plethora of opinions. Some consider him to be a versatile genius, some feel he’s stoic and some even think he’s Girish Karnad arrogant (especially after his infamous comments criticising author VS Naipaul and Rabindranath Tagore). But, for people who have worked with him and have known him personally, he is a patient, strict disciplinarian, who respects his work and those who work with or for him. Even as I speak to him, he comes across as a shrewd man who is fiercely confident of his opinions, knows his job and expects you to know yours. As filmmaker and cinematographer Rajiv Menon (who has directed Karnad in his debut film, Minsara Kanavu, and has been the cinematographer for Karnad’s film, Cheluvi) puts it, “People know him (Karnad) as Celebrating It would perhaps be a little too late in the day to actually ask the Razzies to move over and make way for its Indian versions, for the Ghanta and the Golden Kela Awards have been having a successful run for years now. So, what are they really all about?.