( Web Series on Sony Liv)

It’s disheartening that one’s search through the maze of action films and web-serials on offer on OTT platforms of crime and thriller genre generally have content and stories highly contrived, unreal and wind up with tame endings after dragging one through 7-8 episodes of predictable twists & turns that test your endurance &  faith in good cinema .

Therefore, one’s duty bound in recommending this realistic, gripping Court-room based web-series that grabs your attention such that you binge-watch through the entire five episodes in one go, as we did recently. The series ‘Court Katcheri’ (‘Sony Liv’) was akin to a ‘surprise gift’ packaged in five crisp episodes for viewers without expectations that arise from pretentious stars and of glam & theatrics that surround them. Knowledgeable movie buffs understand that lesser known, fine actors drive themes with great content ! 

Somewhat in the cynically humorous genre of two more recent legal-themed web-series, ‘Patna Shukla’ & ‘Mamla Legal Hai’, this one has one a few more punches thrown with a generational conflict that all families face today. It is coming-of-age legal drama set in India’s district courts and explores emotionally charged human stories, high-stakes legal battles and harsh courtroom realities, all through the eyes of Param, a young man born into a town’s leading lawyer’s legacy but is determined to escape it, come what may. As he wrestles with family & societal pressures to follow in illustrious footsteps of his Dad, he’s exposed to rottenness of the system & messy truths that are part of  the legal set-up.

We marvel at brilliance of veteran actor Pawan Malhotra, who plays the domineering yet soft-hearted Dad trying to mould his son into higher echelons of his legal profession but with no idea of his son’s aspirations. Why don’t such actors get meaty roles outside OTT.  

Ashish Verma as Param is outstanding as he tries to show confusion and then rebellion against the system he finds is flawed & corrupt. It’s a troubled journey he charts till the realities dawn on him. After all, Judiciary remains last resort for redressal of our issues.

Puneet Batra, is very impressive as Suraj Beria, the ethical advocate assistant waiting for his moment to shine & loyal friend whose help sometimes backfires. A shining cameo comes from Priyansha Bharadwaj as Advocate Anusha, who valiantly defends her client. The setting’s real & legal skullduggery is relatable. There’s a slice of life here to witness !

Some things, objects and persons in life have their designated purpose but are seldom celebrated because of their sheer inability to make their presence speak loudly. Yet take them out and you’re left virtually immobile and helpless. Look at humble shoestrings, (or shoelaces) that we rarely pay heed to while quickly getting ready. Yet more than just functional fasteners for shoes, they play a crucial role in comfort, safety and even style.

There’s something utilitarian about shoestrings and there’s overriding self-dependence attached to it. A child grows up to small life lessons include learning to making a tight knot while tying the shoelaces, else they’d get undone and make one trip and fall over. Many of us would recall our school teachers would look sternly at untidy boys with dirty shoes and the shoelaces not tied. Parents & teachers exasperated with poor performance at times made unkind remarks using idioms like ‘Can’t even properly tie your shoelaces’. Many hurt by this would (metaphorically) tighten the shoe-laces & ‘pull up their socks’.

There’s also a statement in austerity involved here. We were taught early about working on ‘shoestring’ budgets that forced us to spend frugally and to save for a ‘rainy day’. In today’s times, strict financial planning focuses on essential spending and keeps track of costs incurred. Millennial have realized that ‘borrow & splurge’ isn’t so wise in the long run. ‘Shoestring’ budgets financially come to rescue in paying debts & buying a house.

‘Shoestrings’ mostly remain invisible covered as they are by trousers (or dresses) but look at the stellar role they play as we move on. Generally unaffected by lint or debris, they ensure consistent performance. More than just a detail, they are a fundamental component of footwear, contributing to both the practical functionality and aesthetic appeal of shoes. That said, for senior citizens like us, there’s a problem in bending over & keeping balance while tying the shoelaces. Relax, sit down comfortably & then do it !

Many lessons can be derived here. Being at the lowest rung or order doesn’t diminish the importance of anyone specially in workplaces which have hierarchal set-ups. In my own experience the organisation relies heavily for smooth operations on its ground staff. They form the foundations of efficiency in output. Left loose, the whole system can trip !

Many of our friends from the 60s-70s era would get that tinge of nostalgia mixed with excitement at the mention of old war films based on thrilling novels by iconic writers. Among dozens that we devoured in  our youth, one of our all time favourites remains the best-seller by Alistair Maclean, ‘The Guns of Navarone’ written in 1957.

Himself a WWII veteran, Alistair Maclean served in the Royal Navy from 1941 to 1947, initially as an ordinary seaman and later as a leading torpedo operator. His wartime experiences saw true to life reflections in his other famous novel like ‘HMS Ulysses’ of a battle on high seas. It’s reported that Maclean apart from being a prolific writer who enthralled us with spell binding WWII adventures of the likes of ‘Where Eagles Dare’, ‘Ice Station Zebra’ and ‘Fear is the Key’, turned into a successful screenplay writer too.

Talking of ‘Guns of Navarone’ cannot be complete without mention of the magnificent film (1957) based on the book with an all-star cast led by Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and David Niven, which weaves an amazing tale of a bunch of reckless, intrepid men of steel, who are chosen to undertake a near impossible mission of destroying the deadly bombers which protect the Nazis from an attack from the seas by the Allies. ‘Netflix’ has now been able to transport us to our days of adventure movies with such classics !

At one time we were regulars of the ‘war movies’ club which drew on the WWII stories of the real & fictional victories & exploits of the Allied Forces against all powerful ruthless Germans and heroics of the undaunted Allied soldiers in fighting the Nazis. There were , plenty in the 1960-70’s decade apart from Maclean, we had been weaned on Frederick Forsyth’s ‘Day of the Jackal’ and “The Odessa File’ to Ken Follet’s ‘Eye of the Needle’, all made into gripping war movies. Then there were the war classics like ‘Bridge on River Kwai’, ‘The Longest Day’, ‘The Great Escape’, ‘Battle of the Bulge’, ‘633 Squadron’, ‘Patton’ and many others, it was a magnificent genre of untold courage and bravery.

The craze for war novels and consequently such epic dramas on celluloid diminished in last four decades or so which saw the post-war re-emergence of many strong nations like Japan and China, the ensuing Cold War of super-powers, sweeping liberalization by economies, use of new technology and special effects in films and advent of Sci-fi flics, the ‘Superman’, ‘Spiderman’ cult, ‘Harry Potter’ mania among the youth and now with OTT platforms that changed the landscape of film-making !

For old-timers there was something inspirational and stirring in those epic sagas of war-time valour and sacrifice and the ‘larger than life’ characters that give us ‘goose-bumps’ even now ! In the last scene of the film ‘Guns of Navarone’, Peck says to Quinn ‘The mission is over, why are you not coming with us- how will you survive this place ?’ And Quinn says ‘It takes a lot to kill someone like me’ !

If you’re a Mumbaikar, then you might have lots to crib about in life & commuting when incessant ‘Paoos’ (in Marathi), ‘Baarish’ (in Hindi) or ‘Monsoon Mayhem’ (in simple Angrezi !) relentlessly descends on the Megacity and if the downpour starts on the long weekend and lashes you over the next week ! However, there are motivational quotes on the brighter side of the monsoon travails like “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but about dancing in the rain ! ” That’s what many youngsters do on the seaside rocks of Bandstand or by drenching in the waves on Marine Drive, Bollywood style.

Why do we associate memorable parts of our childhood with nostalgia, the minute we think of rains. One reflection is of school and the essays on, yes, “A Rainy Day”. I recall that almost everyone had idyllic visions of the scene almost poetic in their discourse. In our themes, the ‘rains were not mainly in the plains’ (unlike in Spain !) but the poet in us would conjure  the vast countryside scene with lush green flora awashed by droplets of rain as the cool moist air would be resounding with chirping of birds. Most of us would then turn into unrefined versions Keats and Wordsworth ! 

The other memory relates to the lines that someone playfully said ‘When life gives you a rainy day, play in the puddles !’. It would be sheer joy when heavy showers would force the school to close unexpectedly and we would spend the day left to our own resources. This would entail a lot of splashing and jostling in the puddles by the boys and would end with us paddling or swimming the roads to reach home. Parents, in those days, were more liberal with the ‘rainy day’ syndrome and couldn’t be bothered with our wet and soggy look. Rains were pure and getting wet was part of growing up !   

That gay abandon with which rains were greeted seems a long time ago when nature was kind and unrevengeful. There’s an air of unpredictability and lack of preparedness and we’re beset in a state of emergency with the unprecedented cloudbursts over hilly areas and flash floods inundating everything in its way and posing great challenges to disaster management. When non-stop rains come with unrelenting force there’s a near deluge in the major cities with water-logging, flooding in low lying areas, roads brimming with pot holes, collapsing dilapidated structures.. The poor commuter struggles with traffic jams, stalled cars, inordinate delays in running of  buses & locals. Not the ‘happiest of times’ !

Not being aware of the school curriculum, wonder what today’s children would write in the Essay on ‘A Rainy Day’. Maybe it’s no longer part of their syllabus !      

13^th August was celebrated as the “International Left handers” day  all over the world, following the tradition started in 1996 to show solidarity to those exceptionally doughty lefties (said to be 12% of the world’s population).

Also called south-paw, the left-handed ones have not had it easy and there has been doubts raised on them. As per our Indian custom, girls have always been encouraged to be right-handed, never mind the natural flair, compliments are not supposed to be left-handed, the left-wing folks have their own critics and when we say “the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing“ the reference is not flattering ! Even the word “dexterity” shows a right-handed bias. The term dexter  means “right” and refers to being “right-handed” on both sides.

Be that as it may, the world has had its share of great and extraordinary lefties including Albert Einstein, Charlie Chaplin, Bill Gates and the US Ex President Barack Obama to name a few. The sporting world has seen many tennis legends  of  the likes of John Mackinroe, Rafeal Nadal and Martina Navratilova among others,  while cricket lovers would still revel in the classy cover drives of greats like Neil Harvey (Australia ), David Gower ( England ) and our own Yuvraj Singh and “God of the Off-side” Dada Sourav Ganguly, left-handed batters creating poetry in motion when wielding the willow ! Naturally, the greatest all-rounder, Gary Sobers was also a left-hander ! Sachin Tendulkar being ‘God of Cricket’ is said to be ambidextrous !

Being left handed probably gives greater versatility and style to many men and women as it has also been seen as a trait indicating creativity, boldness and strength of character of such people who are also endowed of musical and artistic abilities. It is no longer inauspicious to be left handed as long as one is really good at what he or she does or achieves ! The living legend Big B once shared a childhood memory of being scolded by his father for writing with his left hand which led him to switch to the right hand instead, though he was a natural lefty. He can write with both hands !

As for me, I’ve grown up with some genuine left-handers of immense talent and skill as two of my four sisters (one elder and one younger) are in that class. Having known many lefties in my time, I’ve always been impressed with their repertoire and resourcefulness. In fact, my home & life depends entirely on a person who’s not only a very deft left-hander but dishes out various cuisines in no time waving the ‘ladle’ gloriously ! Admittedly I’ve found it eminently favorable, being on her right side !

Everybody needs that motivation , a pep talk, a lift in the sails that together with self-driven thought and action takes us towards the goals we set. But over time and many years of objectivity, wisdom and cynicism, one needs to reboot and reflect even if in the autumn years of life. One way to accomplish is to revisit what great men and women have said that has stood the test of time and invigorates the spirit each time you read.

With that small mission, I picked from my book shelf a less referred item titled ‘World’s Greatest Speeches – Collectable Edition ! I quote from the preface about this Edition ‘Taking you on a journey into the world of rhetoric, this priceless edition encapsulates speeches that have lasted through the ages. From those delivered to make peace to those delivered during wars, from religious orations to political oratory, this edition features iconic personalities such as Pericles, Queen Elizabeth, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama &..’   

This book has as nearly ninety speeches that are spread over 600 bound pages and to me should be a great tool not only for aspiring college speakers excelling in debates but every student to understand how extraordinary leaders had the power to sway the mind. It is customary to have favourites even in realm of oratory and I give below my choice of the ten best that stayed with me like it has with rest of the world, though all are great :

1. ‘A Tryst With Destiny’ – Jawaharlal Nehru
2. ‘We Shall Fight on the Beaches’ – Winston Churchill
3. ‘I Have a Dream’ – Martin Luther King  
4. ‘Inaugural Address’ – John F Kennedy
5. ‘Give Me Blood..’ – Subhash Chandra Bose 
6. ‘The Pleasure of Books’ – William Lyon Phelps
7. ‘The Gettysburg Address’ – Abraham Lincoln

(7 Part Web Series on Zee 5)

What’s in a serial with a name like ‘Bakaiti’ ? Yes, that’s the title of a new Web-Series on Zee 5 we finished in a couple of sittings, hooked by natural performances and simple storytelling. It’s in the familiar genre of comedy-drama like ‘Gullak’ that had beautifully captured the chaos, pressures and sibling ‘squabbles’ & bonding of a middle class family.

To begin with, people who’ve grown up with Eastern UP’s colloquialism would have used ‘Bakaiti’ as an expression associated with authoritative macho behavior but shorn of its daring connotation it means talking non-stop, sometimes speaking complete and utter nonsense ! Derived from the word ‘bak’ (speak) it fits the middle class family scene where ‘noise’ levels are high, tempers generally frayed & listening becomes a lost art.  

While two siblings constantly bicker there’s also unshakeable faith between them in having each other’s backs in sharing their aspirations ! This exists despite the parent’s everyday struggles who navigate financial hardship and endevour to maintain a façade of well-being, confronted by interpersonal challenges from their own deriding relatives. The setting is Ghaziabad near Delhi, which though urbanized isn’t the perfect launching pad for the youth and retains the middle-class morality that’s heavily influenced by the need to maintain a respectable image and adhere to societal expectations. 

This engaging 7 part series is directed by Ameet Guptha and stars veteran actors Sheeba Chaddha and Rajesh Tailang,whosuperblyplay the role of parents on a roller coaster ride to balance between the daily needs of ‘Sabji-bhaji’ and ‘Self-respect’ in providing for their family’s aspirational goals. Many scenes are so relatable as typically middle class – trying to squeeze tooth paste to the last, the overflowing water tank and internet data running out & efforts to raise resources through start-up ventures without planning.   

The scene stealers are two siblings played by Tanya Sharma and Aaditya Shukla as the 21 year old, academically brilliant sister and 17 year old, flippant, cricket crazy brother always at loggerheads & can’t share a room but can’t stay without each other too. In a cameo as ‘Chirag’, dishy looking tenant who enters the house, Keshav Sadhna shines ! The show doesn’t let up on its emotional quotient as relationships are tested. The family must confront generational differences while rediscovering mutual understanding and care. Without preaching and glorifying struggles, it’s a journey from a house to a ‘home’.

E R Braithwaite’s soul stirring book ‘To Sir With Love’ published in 1959, tells the riveting story of a young black teacher who struggles to win over the trust and love of a bunch of wayward and near delinquent students in a largely white secondary school in one of London’s poorest neighborhoods. Interestingly the novel is based on the true story of Braithwaite & deals with social & racial issues. Sometimes the film (made in 1967) on the story garners more interest and acclaim and I confess I read the book after watching the film ‘To Sir With Love’ which remained etched in my mind.  Later, many of us used this ‘title’ on gifts to those we respected- teachers, seniors and bosses !

As most of the old-timers would recall, the protagonist is a teacher in a London High School full of white students who are brats and brash drop-outs, sneering with racial superiority at the new black teacher who’s committed to reform them with skills at his command. One of the first precepts of learning is to respect the teacher as someone who comes armed with knowledge that one doesn’t possess. In this case, not only did this group of surly, wayward students have any intention of gaining anything but treated their black teacher with deep seated prejudice – did his intellect make him superior ?

The story evolves with many riveting confrontations and persuasive bouts with the class not only on academic matters but on issues of cleanliness, hygiene, good manners and self-discipline the teacher tries to inculcate in them to be upstanding men and women. There’s initial resistance but then a slow but grudging admiration starting with a few as it dawns on the bitterness of ‘broken homes’ that life can have a brighter and better side. Education isn’t only about learning numbers & grammar but about living decently and with pride. Braithwaite’s moving tale puts forth lessons & rises above colour and creed.

True to character, Sidney Poiter, the talented American actor played the unforgettable role with great passion. The film got rave reviews for its universal appeal & I remember that when I first saw the film, I was simply bowled over by Poiter’s stirring performance, a black actor who had become an icon for his portrayal of classy, dignified heroes in amazing, award winning films like “In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’ apart from ‘Lilies in the Field’ for which he received the Oscar ! One of my more erudite Aunts, who was also a movie-buff, asked us to correctly pronounce the name. ‘Poati’ (somewhat French?), not Poiter, she told us knowingly !

Despite all its progress and fight for human rights and against racism, US continues to have overt and covert cases of racial prejudice. The book & film remains a watershed !

A quote I read says ‘Grandfather is a man who has no clock, no plans and lots of time for his grandkids’. Some fondest recollections are my childhood years spent with my Grand-Dad, Sri Narendra Nath Sinha. ‘Dadu’- as we siblings called him- was my Dad’s Dad and was originally a Barrister who’d also been sent to London to study Law by his illustrious Father, Kali Prasonna Singho, a Dist. Judge in the British colonial era.

Dadu’s world centered around his grandchildren till he passed away in 1970 at age of 85. Naturally, as a very young boy I spent a lot of time with my Dadu, to me, one of the best story tellers I’ve ever known. From the much widely read  Shakespearean tragedies like ‘Othello’ & ‘Julius Caesar’ to ‘French Revolution’ and classic ‘Tale of Two Cities’, from escapades of that ‘damned elusive Scarlet Pimpernal’ to the revenge of the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’, he had us spellbound with his dramatic narrations which made the stories come alive.

One of his preferred tales was the fascinating battle for the ‘Ashes’ and an amazing man, Don Bradman, whose prowess became cricketing folklore for all times. Why ‘Ashes’ and more importantly whose ashes I had then asked. As we now know ‘The Ashes’ Cricket Series is traditionally of five Tests, hosted in turn by England and Australia at least once every four years. The term originated in a satirical obituary published in British paper, which stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to “regain those ashes”. English media then took over, calling it ‘The Ashes’ !

Dadu’s recounting would start from the 1930s when a small built batsman called Donald Bradman made an unimpressive debut and the inexperienced Australians were heavily defeated by a very strong English batting side with the likes of Wally Hammond, Jack Hobbs & Billy Sutcliffe. But the legendary ‘Bradman’ show was to follow in years to come and to make history forever.I vaguely remember seeing a Scrapbook that had pictures of Bradman. As Dadu would unfold to us the dramatic story, it was the awe of Bradman’s invincible bat that caused England’s Captain Douglas Jardine (1932-33) to adopt the nasty tactic of fast leg theory, known as the infamous Bodyline. Although England decisively won the Ashes 4–1, Bodyline as the most unsporting, deadly and lethal practice by the fielding side to overpower the opposition batters, caused such a furore in Australia that it was banished forever from the laws of Cricket.

As a cricket buff much later in the mid 1980s, I happened to chance upon and enjoy profusely the cinematic retelling of that infamous ‘1932-33’ Ashes series in a wonderful Mini-series called ‘Bodyline – The Ultimate Test’. Understand it’s still available on ‘Amazon Prime Video’! And yes, the greatest batsman of all times, Aussie Donald Bradman came to be known as ‘Sir Don’ and his most famous book ‘Farewell to Cricket’ written in 1950, is must read for all die-hard cricket aficionados !

One of the traits of the Millennial and the Gen Z ( include X and Y too ) is their gradual breakaway from the literary activities like ‘writing’ and ‘reading’, which are now mainly confined to academic exercises prescribed in school curriculums. There being no real technology in realm of ‘chalk and talk’ teaching methods in days of yore, predominance of app-based studies has brought a sea-change in the way young students think and act.

Most friends, associates and peers from our time of 1970s, would recall our penchant for visiting libraries & of borrowing books and notes from friends and even gifting a perfect ‘classic’ novel to someone who was precious ! How could then films be left behind ? In a famous old Lucknow based movie ‘Mere Mehboob’ (1963), the young lead pair collide, their books lie scattered on the college hallway – it’s quintessentially ‘love at first sight’ !

Having said that, paradoxically the book-stores with dwindling business and few buyers of books and literature lovers left till just few years back, have suddenly got a new lease of life with the emergence of writers of all genres. Today anyone can think of becoming a popular pulp fiction writer or ace biographer, an author or a poet with a little talent for wordplay and lucid expression, unlimited access to information on the public domain for drawing on ideas & publishers, not fussy about quality of writing or of plagiarism !

The urge that our famed celebrities (including politicians, statesmen, leaders, business honchos, sportsmen and yes, superstars !) have to let their life (success) stories be told through their memoirs and autobiographies (mostly ghost written) has flavours to it – they draw on people’s fascination to know about their private lives, struggles, setbacks & victories but many are written to set the record straight and give a new twist to accepted facts. A  few like the iconic ‘Big ‘B’ have yet not relented to being chronicled into a book !   

Let me add that not all from our Gen-next and Next-next are averse to literary pursuits in their leisure time while following their academic & other pursuits. Many teenagers I’ve known (progeny of relatives & friends) have turned writers with published books at a very young age, creating new genres. There’s also a noticeable shift in wrapped gifts our young reward us with. Of late, I’ve become truly ‘gifted’ to get a bound copy of ‘Gone With the Wind’ and a bound compilation of the ‘World’s Greatest Speeches’! A way of exhibiting their literary-sensitive side in expressing appreciation and love for books !