If it wasn’t for the delivery boy bringing a heavy lunch pack surrounded by  a heavenly aroma, I would have forgotten all about it. Sometime yesterday, my in-laws had called to announce that being an auspicious day, some ‘alpo khabar’ (food) but virtually in form wonderful Bengali delicacies with exotic names, were being despatched. All this because India had beaten the Pakis, I thought with utter naivety. I was reminded it was indeed ‘Jamai Shasti’ !

Of course ! The coin dropped like the way it does in T20 WC matches these days. From olden times, one festival that holds a special place in the hearts of Bengalis is ‘Jamai Sasthi’. It’s a celebration of the bond between a Ma-in-law and her son-in-law, also known as “Jamai”. This festival is observed on the sixth day of the waxing moon in the month of Jyeshtha according to the Hindu calendar. This year the ‘tithi’ happened to fall on 12^th June. Since age is no barrier to qualify for this festivity, at 69 I still enjoy an exalted status. 

But the Bengali son-in-laws aren’t the only lucky guys on this planet to get these annual benefits ? In the other communities too, there are customs to give due importance and show solidarity to the ‘Jamai Sir’. Some films have depicted the guy as ‘Jamai-Raja’, who throws wanton tantrums and has to be handled with kid gloves, at least in the initial stages, till the daughter wields the stick, he’s properly domesticated and loses his sting over time !

In whatever form it may exist, the idea of honouring the ‘Jamai’ is noble in it’s underlying intent. The event is seen as important in bringing the couple, and more particularly the son-in-law closer to the in-law’s family, hence strengthening family bonds. As we’ve all known from experience, as per our traditions, we don’t just marry the person, we marry the families as well !

The commendable feature of films on ‘sports’ is they’re generally devoid of mindless crime, revenge, gore, violence & crude ingredients of full on desi potboilers. However, not all are so watchable or as well made as were movies like ‘Chak De’, ‘Iqbal’, ‘Mary Kom’ and ‘Bhag Milkha Bhag’ (naming just few), but those who love sports, get many uplifting messages worth emulating in life. Sports isn’t just a teacher but a leveler too!       

We’ve all got used to OTT in-house viewing, visiting theatres is rare, a bit like visiting a doctor unless one’s forced to. We love to procrastinate, wait for it to come on Prime. There was home resistance against watching ‘Mr & Mrs Mahi’ at a nearby hall but for once I prevailed over my Mrs, promising her a treat but not disclosing the film’s story.  For the curious, it’s a ‘cricket’ based drama & that’s why it couldn’t be missed by me !    

An arranged marriage brings Mahendra, a failed district level cricketer and Mahima, a young doctor together & coincidentally having the same nickname, they become Mr. and Mrs.Mahi (Symbolically too, ‘Mahi’ is hugely significant in Indian cricket !). They soon discover their common love and passion for the game of Cricket. Eventually, Mahendra, who hates the drudgery of having to work in his father’s sports goods shop, yearns to get back to cricket field but faces repeated rejections from all quarters.

When things are going downhill, he accidentally spots big cricketing talent in his wife & encourages her to chase her dream of becoming a top cricketer and coaches her on this journey. It’s a process of discovery that’s arduous & challenging and the husband-wife duo slowly get to learn about individuality, chasing dreams & defeating insecurities. Coaches make endless sacrifices that go to make champions, yet have to keep away from spotlight. Apart from cricket, film also explores issues of trust and fame in relationships.

As expected, Raj Kumar Rao as the suppressed son, the supportive husband, and a man desperately seeking validation is understated and sincere and co-actors Kumud Mishra and Rajesh Sharma are impressive. There is also a memorable cameo by veteran Zarina Wahab, and one wonders why she isn’t seen more often in senior roles. However, it’s Janhvi Kapoor, who steals the show as she refreshingly brings serenity and poise to her portrayal and also emotes well in the dramatic scenes. This looks like the coming of age of the young actress in more meatier roles of substance, that can tap her innate talent.   

‘Mr & Mrs Mahi’ isn’t a great sports film and it resorts to cinematic liberties in fairly liberal doses. It’s virtually impossible to succeed in the rat race of Indian cricket without going through the domestic circuit for years and millions of aspirants don’t make it big.  Yet it’s ‘feel-good’ family flic for many reasons and carries the message that true victory lies in not only chasing dreams with commitment but finding fulfillment within yourself.

 

 ‘There’s a tide (dew) in the innings played in cricket …’ specially in T20 Cricket version and India seems to have mastered the uncanny art of getting into a hole and managing a miraculous turnaround like a ‘great escape’ in many of the epic encounters against arch rivals Pakistan. Yesterday it kept us viewers on tenterhooks late and well past midnight !

The media and all the social groups have already analysed what India did right when it came to it’s bowling and what went wrong with Pakis when they batted – it was a match reminiscent of the English classic ‘Escape to Victory’ (1981). Closer home our Bollywood has many inspiring numbers like ‘Chak De..’ that ups the ante for nationalism in sports.

However, I’m reminded of another 70’s blockbuster ‘Amar, Akbar, Anthony’ starring the iconic Big B & others, where three heroes come together to find justice, and have a song that resonates with its multi plurality and unity in diversity as they fight all odds to win. The song lyrics can fit our young pacers who form a winning combo match after match :

‘Anhoni ko honi kar de, Honi ko anhoni,

Apne team mein hai jab, Jasprit, Siraj, Arshdeep !’ 

Born in June,1939, he left untimely more than thirty years ago in Jan, 1994, yet there’s still an immense amount of reminiscing, recreation and invoking of the musical gems of composer, singer and amazingly versatile artist that was RD Burman, lovingly known as Pancham. In the 1960-90s era, he composed musical scores for over 330 films, bringing a new level of musical ensemble with diverse compositions – classical, pop, fusion et al !

His tunes were a boon to both Hindi & Bengali music worlds of his time, that remain sheer treasures & fans know that many of his hit songs have versions in both languages. Interspersed among them are also numbers that became iconic not only for their superb rendition & lyrics but for the picturizations on Rajesh Khanna, the superstar of the 70’s.

‘Zindagi Ke Safar Mein..’ from the Hindi film ‘Aap Ki Kasam’ (1974) featuring Rajesh Khanna and Mumtaz, is a sublime, beautiful sad song. It has a poignant theme of a once vain and egoistic man who’s very repentant having lost all his life’s bearings. The heart-rending orals of the soulful song were by inimitable Kishore da and awe-inspiring lyrics were written by Anand Bakshi and composed by Pancham. This was one of those songs that didn’t have a Bengali take but remains one of Pancham’s most moving creations !   

In the iconic film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), the character Amir Khan essays, tells his cronies ‘If you want to assess a person’s real character, watch how he treats his sub-ordinates and helpers’. Empathy and kindness in their dealings is the hallmark of true leaders and reveals the humane side of people. Yet, often those in positions of power hardly deem it fit to even acknowledge the existence of the staff employed to carry out menial duties. In difficult situations, however, they’re sometimes expected to take the blame and protect their owners and bosses from any harm that may befall them.

But here’s an act of courage and selflessly standing up to protect one’s staff that seems scripted like a film scene and involves a renowned actress, none other than 49 year old Raveena Tandon. Having earlier earned the sobriquet of ‘Mast Mast Girl’ for the hit number ‘Tu Cheez Badi Hai..’ from the hit  film ‘Mohra’ (1994) as a glamorous star, with time she went on to meaningful roles on big screen & OTT. She also takes part in social work and was awarded ‘Padmashri’ in 2023 for her contribution to art and cinema.

About a week ago it was reported that she was involved in an alleged road incident which took an ugly turn. The story goes that returning home in her chauffeur driven car, she found herself in an altercation with a group of people who alleged they were brushed by her vehicle. What had unfolded was after dropping her off, the driver was reversing the car as three people were walking past and were allegedly hit or got touched by it.

When she sensed that trouble was brewing outside her house as a mob had collected and were threatening her driver, she came out, spoke and reasoned with them and in the process got shoved around too. Facing a traumatic time, Raveena continued to stand by her driver and save him from the mob. Through her persuasion the matter finally got resolved and ended up with no one filing a complaint with the police authorities. 

For those who are movie buffs, do watch a gripping film ‘Patna Shukla’ on Hotstar which has Raveena playing a crusading lawyer who goes to any extent to get justice for her clients who are mostly underdogs. It seems she has the same mettle in her real life too ! Occasions don’t make heroes or cowards, they simply unveil them to the eyes of others.  

Malls, shops, restaurants and eateries all depend on footfalls and continuous stream of customers – preferably with the will and money to ‘shop till they drop’ (since on line shopping is only a convenient by product for their sales output). It’s also certain that there’ll be ‘slack’ or low activity periods just as there’ll be busy phases during the normal days that culminates into big weekend rush. In festive seasons when there’s the added ‘sale’ offers, discounts, buy 1 & get 2 two deals, shoppers are seen going insanely crazy !

Regular shoppers, like homemakers and the WFH (working from home) with their in-depth experience of going to the market for groceries and essentials, ata, daal, chahwal, understand the ebbs and flows of traffic in the big malls and super-bazaars and time their visits to avail the ‘afternoon hours’ or the time between 12 noon to 4 pm when customer tide is low ! That apart, there are ‘early birds’ too who queue up and sneak in as soon as the shutters are opened by the mall security staff. That way, shopping part gets over before the day starts for the working class who commute to their workplaces.

Marketers studying customer habits know that there is what’s called the ‘afternoon economy’ which typically suits the housewives and working people like school teachers and over time they form the regular clientele in these hours. But weather conditions can play a part here. During the hot summers and the heat-wave conditions as prevailing in many cities this year, it can severely impact sales and customer footfalls !

Wayside food stalls and eateries face similar problems in extreme weather conditions as do the ‘fine dine’ restaurants. As the mercury rises, it creates psychological barriers for people to dine out as they prefer staying indoors in comfortable temperature zones. The adverse impact on business is partly made up through on-line orders for home delivery but when the mercury soars over 45 degrees even that is affected ! Let’s not forget the monsoons. The Mumbai rains that start with a whisper and build into torrential roar in months June to August. Clearly business runs its course though the entire spectrum !

Let’s also not forget that ‘happy’ term in context of eateries in megacities like Mumbai, Bangalore & Pune. ‘Happy hour’ is a marketing term for a time when a venue such as a restaurant or bar offers reduced prices on alcoholic drinks. Discounted menu items like appetizers are often served to entice people. This is a way for pubs, bars and restaurants to draw in more business before or after peak business hours.

It’s about increasing ‘feel-good’ factor to get better results that there’s also ‘Work happy hour’- the simplest form of it is gathering everyone in office together to share a drink and talk. It mayn’t happen in staid Public Sector but in big Corporates, it’s standard way to help people relax and unwind ! People wants happiness in work lives too. As one wise guy said ‘Happy hour makes me feel happy all the way from my head to mojitos’ !

The 1970-80s was also known as Bollywood’s ‘golden era’ because of the richness of quality and class of the films produced, actors and music composers of those times and early 70s was when we were mature enough to appreciate artistic content and creativity.     

In 1972, the film ‘Parichay’ was made by Gulzar as an Indianised adaptation of the old classic ‘Sound of Music’ with the main lead of ‘Maria’ (played by Julie Andrews) reprised by Jeetendra, in one his best ever performances. Naturally, music played a vital part in the film’s storyline and writer Gulzar combined his artistry with the musical genius of RD Burman, his old friend. It met with resounding success and songs became super hits.

Among the many beautiful numbers was one iconic song ‘Musafir Hoon Yaaron..’ The situation was to depict travel with no destination, picturised on the ‘out of work’ hero who was without roots. But there is a fascinating story behind the making of the song.  This is based on the accounts given by singer, Amit Kumar in one of his talk shows !

It’s said that Gulzar, also producer of the film, was getting very impatient as RD wasn’t coming up with the right composition.The former managed to catch RD one evening and prevailed upon him to anyhow finalise the tune then and there. The song was eventually conceived while RD and Gulzar were actually traveling to Bombay. During the course of the journey, this piece of melody evolved through their animated discussions, but it took the entire night for the song to get its full form ! The singer was naturally Kishore Da !

In his chats Amit Kumar also explained how RD had created special musical sounds to give the effect of  a horse’s hoof beats since the hero sings while travelling on a ‘tonga’ ! What we get to hear is a perfect pitch for a philosophical journey in to the unknown… That’s how those legendary writers and composers gave us such memorable creations !    

We often say ‘Hat’s Off to You’ in appreciation or adulation for some good work done. It’s akin to congratulating another, and had originated from ancient times as hats have been in vogue since times immemorial. Taking the hat off was a mark of respect and acknowledging another. The ‘hat family’ history is long and quaint – head coverings throughout history and the world over carried religious or ceremonial significance.

Hats would convey hierarchy, social status or military rank. In the military, hats may denote the nationality, branch of service, rank or regiment and each service has their own colours & emblems. Police personnel typically wear distinctive ones, peaked caps, police hats or brimmed hats as worn by American cops. The greatest variety of head gear styled for famed, iconic stars, must come from glamour world of fashion and is closely followed by the sporting fraternity specially in cricket & tennis that’s played outdoors.  Wily politicians ‘wear (not one but) many hats’ to identify with the ethos & the place ! 

Typically for us ‘hats’ have a colonial connotation in that the British would wear them as customary head-wear whilst with our colourful diversity and ethnic roots the same had  many forms, often dictated by the weather conditions. The turban referred to as a pagri, is worn by men and is manually tied. The styles are specific to the wearer’s region or religion. For instance, the religious Sikh turban is called ‘Dastar’ but in Rajasthan, the Pagri is called ‘Safa’, and is traditionally an integral part of the state’s cultural identity. 

The urban Indian women, educated & working millennial, has adopted modern attires and styles. Yet the head coverings are relatively common among those in the hinterland and traditionally, married ladies put on a ‘pallu’. It is estimated about half the women keep the practice of covering their heads outside of their homes. That said, fashionable scarves, hoods and head-wears also adorn trendy women’s affluent couture. Significant fact is that as per our old customs and beliefs, head should be covered while performing puja or any other auspicious work as it helps to maintain mental peace and attention.

The head covering plays a vital role when facing the scorching summer heat as it does in protecting one from the extreme winter chill. Apart from making a fashion statement, one chooses head wear appropriate to seasons. In winters Bongs go for ‘monkey caps’ covering the ears while people in ‘coldest’ North use fur caps, masks and ‘balaclavas’ !

Today the most essential life-saving head-gear, is the ‘helmet’ for the drivers of mo-bikes & two-wheelers on roads at great speeds. Most cities have made it mandatory even for pillion riders yet the most unfortunate accidents happen. For construction & on-site workers it is an absolute must ! In Cricket the batters (and close in fielders ) are advised to wear helmets to avoid serious head injuries as it for goal-keepers on a hockey field.

Not everyone looks great with a hat on, yet head wear have their style, utility and importance.  As Christian Dior, the fashion great, said ‘Without hats, there is no civilization’. True !     

      

The IPL Finals was expected to be the mother of all battles and hyped as the ‘clash of the titans’ of this year’s IPL’s two month long festive extravaganza, but ironically ended as an anti-climax of epic proportions, that felt like all the super-fizz gone out of the giant ‘cola’ that was the ‘Sunrisers’ H team, which had played astonishingly till the evening ! Such was the domination of a fired up KKR bunch that the match was over in half the time, for their batters it was a mere walk in the park with about ten overs to spare.

This caught everyone off guard (for records SRH posted lowest ever IPL Final total to be chased !), the organizers took ages to set the stage for the ‘Presentation Ceremony’ in their valiant efforts to reassemble BCCI biggies on the podium to hand out the IPL trophy/awards to the winners ! By midnight, the long wait had commentators running out of subjects but the media guys had a field day as King Khan and family, other team owners and their entourage did the celebratory gestures, flying kisses and victory laps. For audiences worldwide it was a toss up between switching off the TV and sleeping or wait for Harsha or Ravi to start the awards function proceedings.

So in waiting I imagined that in a celestial world, two great writers (presumably cricket lovers) were discussing the ‘Tale of Two IPL Teams’ with Charles (Dickens) expressing sadness over SRH’s plight while William (Shakespeare) extolled the rout by KKR …

In his style Charles might have reflected :

‘It was a far far poor score, That SRH ever in IPL made

It was a far below par show, That SRH ever dreamed of..’

To this William, a KKR loyalist would state :

‘There was a tide in games of KKR, Which when played in the Finals

 Led to a great win and fortune…’     

It was left to Charles to sum up the Finals :

‘It was the best of times for KKR, It was the worst of times for SRH,

 It was an evening of hits for KKR, It was a night of misses for SRH,

 It was a stadium of hope for KKR, It was ‘Chepauk’ of despair for SRH’

Among many lively taglines that creative ads conceived of in last few years. was an old favourite ’Har Ek Friend Jaroori Hota Hai’ or that every friend is important in life. Yet, too many ‘friends’ can be a pain as rich & successful people realize, when ‘new’ ones can spring up like wild flowers to befreind them ! Earlier, we had a ‘best friend’ syndrome, one to whom you felt closest to, but time taught us, friends are just ‘a few good men’ !

On the other hand, famous story-tellers, writers and spinners of film yarns, created that truly special character alongside their main heroes, who played important roles albeit with an understated, genial disposition akin to that of a loyal assistant. The Greatest fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes had Dr.Watson to bounce off his theories on, while the fastidious but brilliant Hercule Poirot liked to have Capt. Hastings as an aide.

In helping them solving curious cases, these amiable ‘associates’ bore the brunt of their eccentricities and quirks (somewhat like what an enduring spouse does !), yet never lost patience like foot soldiers. Closer home, legendary Satyajit Ray’s ace detective ‘Pheluda’ however, had a budding ‘Topse’ as his understudy, which Bengali audiences know from classics like ‘Sonar Kella’ and ‘Joy Baba Phelunath’ and the entire ‘Pheluda’ series.

My favourite of this genre was Col Pickering of ‘My Fair Lady’ fame. A lovable ‘old chap’ on whom the indefatigable Henry Higgins would let off steam uttering expletives such as  ‘never let a woman in your life’ and ‘why can’t a woman be more like you ?’. As their friendship was deep, the loyal Pickering with stoic calmness, assisted Higgins in his mad efforts to transform wild ‘Eliza’ into a proper lady. Let’s remember that such guys were no pushovers, but gentlemen with no egos and reliable friends for all times !

With all this happening in the world of English literature, how could Bollywood be left behind. Even with Saratchandra’s tragic ‘Devdas’ was effervescent Chunilal for company and in almost all movies of 1960-70s, the film’s hero would’ve a sidekick for comic relief. Roles were written for fine actors like Johny Walker, Mehmood, Rajendranath, Asrani etc – there were times when they would steal the show ! Later when lead actors (read Big B, Govinda, SRK etc) delved into comedy, the funny sidekick kind of got lost in crowds.    

Today, the noble, enduring essence of a friendship that plays second fiddle to another person’s eminence or success has been replaced by opportunism and sycophancy where everyone wants a slice of the cake or a place in the spotlight and for that people resort to ‘networking’ & connections rather than maintain relationships with no strings attached. The genteel era of associates ’Watson’ and ’Hastings’ is passé. It’s what it was – fiction !