Pepper Puccini Pantomime

A Holly Blush and a 'Golden' Rush!

2011-01-16T00:32:00.001+05:30

Every year, since 1961, within the decadent chambers of the Beverly Hiton Hotel in California, champagne bring in the effervescence in spirits, fois-gras, caviar and canapés are doled out in epicurean abundance and twinkling stars of the Hollywood constellation descend with a shower of confetti and fairy-dust upon a red carpet that glimmers with style, oomph and pizzazz! And we aren’t even sneaking behind the scenes here! At a wizened age of 68 years, the Golden Globes ceremony happens to be the glitziest party of the season, and this year, things aren’t likely to differ!

Hobnobbing thespians, divas and dandies preening and careening at the same tables and for once, the sight of size-obsessed celebs actually stuffing their mouths… that, messrs and mademoiselles, is Gold Rush enough! However, once the misty allure celebrity razzmatazz fades, we get to the more serious rewarding bit, too! And this year, particularly, has been an interesting year for cinema, with small indie projects overtaking the ho-hum blockbusters to stand resolute in the winner’s circle. Here is our analytical prediction of the top categories…

The Concerto!

In a year speckled with sheer sparkling show of versatility, less was more as smaller indie favourites trumped over heave-ho-hum blockbusters! Gone are the days when the Titanics and Gladiators, alongside winning over the box-office, also pocketed a free visa to the award frontline! Having said this, one can’t possibly spurn the HFPA for its selection of all contenders for the Comedy or Musical category, which are stinks as egregiously as the Drama noms sparkle!

Should win: Seriously, Alice in Wonderland? Red? Burlesque? The Tourist? Some of the worst reviewed films of the year, possibly lined up for Razzie glory, make a beeline here!

The Kids are Alright seems a sureshot victor for the Comedy or Musical category.

As for Drama, the contention is as heated as can get! Considering the eerie avant garde vanguard that Black Swan is, it deserves to win!

Will Win: While The Kids are Alright will, and should, rightfully win, the two-horse race between The King’s Speech and The Social Network is the mystery of year.

Considering the number of ‘likes’ it has received, The Social Network won’t be breaking its head on its ‘wall’ with a likely victory.

The Auteurs

In the most diverse group of auteurs ever to have been selected in this plush suite, each nominee here has made a cinematic statement, defying norms at their own accord!

Christopher Nolan

With Nolan’s brain-teasing dreamscape, Russell’s raw livewire intensity, Hooper’s Brit subtlety and nuanced meticulousness, Aronofsky’s frenetic vigour and Fincher’s razor-sharp precision, the choices seem to be deadlocked!

David O Russell

Should win: Aronofsky has waited long enough! He ought to have garnered at least two of these by now! While Requiem For a Dream remains an epochal work, The Wrestler's coup de grace remained unrewarded!

Darren Aronofsky

Will Win: While Fincher’s ‘network’ seems fairly large now, he may have ‘added’ quite a few ‘friends’ in the marquee! No Fight Clubs or Curious Cases here… just sheer quicksilver wit!

David Fincher

The Primo Uomo!

Some foul and some fair, some regular and some rare, some as human as blood and flesh, some as explosive as a fanatic’s HESH! The men this year are a curious mix of veterans, newbies and promising starlets. However, while we shall love him till death shall do us apart, the ignominy of watching Depp twice nominated (Alice… and The Tourist! Are we in wonderland?) is gargantuan! However, in the Supporting and Dramatic categories, the talent shines bright!

Johnny Depp in The Tourist

Should win: It is Firth’s year for revenge! After being left a single man by Bridges crazy heart(!), Firth’s kingly speech will surely get all the ears in the Drama category!

Colin Firth in The King's Speech

And as for his compatriots, the rather young brigade is led by Mr. Chameleon James Franco and indie devotee Jesse Eisenberg for 127 Hours and The Social Network.

James Franco in 127 Hours

While a critic fave Ryan Gosling has also sneaked in for Blue Valentine, they'll all watch from the wings!

Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine

For the Comedy of Musical tenors, Paul Giamatti’s genius turn in Barney’s Version deserves the clinch as much as Kevin Spacey's sharp, incisive motormouth in Casino Jack. Bale's heart-wrenching turn in The Fighter is yet another feather in his well-plumed hat.

Paul Giamatti in Barney's Version

Will Win: The Firth-a-thon is on and he shall be the victor! However, considering they loved Depp enough to shower him two noms, he might be a serious (ugh!) contender and score a win for his muchiest Mad Hatter!

Johnny Depp in Alice in Wonderland

However, Spacey's corrupt politics will give him a tough run.

Kevin Spacey in Casino Jack

As for the supporting turns, Christian Bale’s troubled Dicky Englund will rise like the dark knight to fight the others to victory!

Christian Blae in The Fighter

The Prima Donna!

After 2002, this has been the strongest and proudest year for women. With a category packed with heart-wrenching, nuanced turns, Drama nominees are a showcase in histrionic genius. In a comeback of sorts, Kidman’s grieving mother won raves as she went down Rabbit Hole.

Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole

While Portman’s Swan Lake take made no mistake, her aplomb seems destined for an ovation. And Jennifer Lawrence simply broke hearts with her cold, calculated sorcery of a performance in the bleak Winter’s Bone.

Jennifer Lawrence in Winter's Bone

Should win: For the Comedy and Musical category, Bening deserves a trophy for her lesbian matriarch in The Kids are Alright. Her onscreen partner, Julianne Moore also deserves mention.

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore in The Kids are Alright

However, what in God’s name is Jolie doing here? Sure, her hair and eyelashes careened and twirled in The Tourist, much more than she did (!) but she clearly didn’t ACT!

Angelina Jolie in The Tourist

In any case, Portman’s performance of a lifetime deserves the best gong... in fact she'd clinch the best performance of the year, too if I were the judge. My heart does go out for Kidman's beautifully underplayed Becca and Lawrence's Ree, but then, another year for them, I guess.

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

As for the Supporting acts, Melissa Leo roared with her earth-shattering mother, in parts strong and in parts vulnerable, in The Fighter.

Melissa Leo in The Fighter

Will Win: Bening, for sure, will be 'alright', as Portman will prove herself the prima donna here! In the supporting turns, The Fighter’s women, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, will fight it out, white trash style, with the prim and proper turn by Helena Bonham Carter for The King’s Speech. Leo will, however, roar!

Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech

The Libretto and the Aria!

Should win: In a year of sharp and incisive writing, Aaron Sorkin’s Facebook saga sparkled the most. While Nolan’s mindbender, Inception will contend hard, 127 Hours will only wait and The King’s Speech will remain mum on the Best Screenplay front.

Musically, Hans Zimmer’s brassy, brazen and booming wonder of a score in Inception is a marvel.

However, Clint Mansell’s mastery over Tchaikovsky's notes in Black Swan, knitting a myriad yarn alternating between grandeur and sinister silence, should get him his due.

As for the song of the year, Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Coming Home' from Country Strong should score a win.

Will Win: Sorkin for The Social Network will rule this year. And, Zimmer will boil and not just simmer! Though while there are much more deserving candidates, Burlesque's power ballad, 'You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me' will win, though just for the Cher-factor.

Also Adagio!

The French animated film, The Illusionist’s heart-rending soul along with the charm of 2D animation deserves a win for Best Animated Feature.

However, considering its past record, Pixar will pocket it comfortably with Toy Story 3’s success (which deserves a Best Comedy or Musical nom AND win much more than the horrendous current nominees!).

The luscious and indulgent I Am Love’s visual mastery, notwithstanding Tilda Swinton's very presence, should gain acknowledgement, in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.

Alejandro Gonzalez’s Biutiful also seems prepped for victory, riding on Bardem’s Cannes win.

We wouldn't, however, count out France's The Concert, considering the divisive views on the former two.

So, just two days left! Let's place our bets! Do you agree with my predictions?

Rum Soaked Sweet Nothings!

2010-09-28T14:11:00.000+05:30

Well, here’s another of my Christmas fixations...after roasts and toasts...the one only sweet mosts! As Christmas knocks on our doors, as the musty flavours of holly and mistletoe make for a heady infusion with the epicurean tastes and aromas of roasts, wines and most importantly, desserts, one fact is proven for sure…we are NOT afraid of diabetes! With the cake shops standing on the threshold of brisk business, and our appetites growing only bigger, I decided to chalk out a love story between two of Christmas’ most beloved elements…alcohol and confectionery! Be it in form of a overpowering, rum-sozzled traditional Christmas pudding, or as amaretto-sozzled cakes whispering sweet nothings (pun intended!), sweet desires make for a heady Christmas ritual…one that we are not ready to let go.

Cake –Mixing marks the initiation of a two-month gastronomic extravaganza. A number of my Christian friends and their family members get together in November to savour the magic of mixing the ale and the raisins to create the base for the classic Christmas cake. Other than the fact that there is a lot of alcohol, the ritual marks a collation of family time.

The secret to the right rum cake is making the batter in a huge quantity. More the ingredients, the better it turns out. Similarly, Christmas puddings are also the symbol of Christmas appetites. Reeking of rum, not in the least subtle (!), and dotted with enough dry fruits to tease the taste buds, that’s the perfect pudding for you.

Every year Flury’s, the legendary cake shop in mon Kolkata, brings with it a different yield of rum cake. Last year I remember how the aroma has been particularly good. The cardinal rule for a good Christmas plum cake is plenty of raisins with every bite and whiff of rum to warm your throat, too! While adults can have their share of rum cakes and Christmas puddings, children, too regale themselves with chocolate, be it chocolate Dundee cakes or novelty choco-treats, and with the magic of globalisation, even strawberries dipped in chocolate. Sinful? Dark desires? You bet!

While desserts call for indulgent treats, the alcohol bit isn’t far behind! A very dear family friend has been ritually making mulled wine for as long as I can remember. Sweet yet piquant and spicy enough to add a kick, without the traditional sipping of mulled wine, every Christmas of mine is simply incomplete without those long evenings darkening into black nights, amidst gracious sips of that heavenly nectar and long, winding conversations that, in their philosophical elevation, would do Kerouac proud! While wines and liqueurs feature high on the wanted list, eggnog happens to be a classic Christmas drink that has been morphed into various forms to suit children’s as well as adults’ palettes.

In my sweet city of Kolkata, that prides itself on its nostalgic treasures, is there something that has really TRULY changed? Well, as far as I see it, Nothing has changed…the demands remain the same, the people remain the same and Christmas is still about cheer and familial bonds. And truly, as an ode to that fact, let’s raise a cheery toast to the good life and another rum-soaked year ahead. Till then, let’s pray for a speedy advent of winter…and safe drinking!

Host with the Most, Toast to the Roast!

2010-09-28T13:44:00.003+05:30

Every festivity brings with it an additional baggage…be it the socio-cultural brouhaha, or the adage of elite or ‘junta’(!) or in the case of the year’s final adieu, HOLIDAY WEIGHT! I know, I know... Christmas is far, far away, but isn’t it time we start planning already?! After all, isn’t the faint nip in the air exhilarating? However, it would truly be an insult to our sensual and sensuous pleasures (we equate food with sex…remember!), if we were to forgo the sumptuous delicacies that are laid out on the jolly holly-laden platters! And frankly no one was born with THAT much resistance to temptation (we’d be called Christ the Redeemer if we ACTUALLY did)! In a season seasoned by the garnishing of sprigs of thyme, rosemary and mouth-watering aromas of the stuffing mixed with the crusty, sharp garlicky infusion of the crisp roasted skin… we experience what Buddha would call Nirvana! So, let me take you on a trip to foodie-land to experience the magic of roasts and meats…to mark the festive cheer of Christmas Cometh. Treadmill companies… are you listening?!

Getting Piggy with It!

Despite the smattering of roast dishes that feature chicken, pork remains an epicurean’s desired ambrosia! And the sales during this time at New Market (that’s my beloved Kolkata for you, sweeties!), pork shops would vouch for that! A traditional spit roasted suckling pig is a little difficult to make, however, is a favourite at big gatherings. Other than tan a pork casserole with a classic white wine sauce symbolises the hearty yuletide cheer! In many a gathering, the suckling pig is a cynosure! Leave aside the taste, which is undoubtedly scrumptious, especially with the apple sauce, the very sight of a spit-roasted suckling pig is a hark back to traditional Christmas!

Chicken seems to be a favourite all over, but personally, I don’t consider having tasted meat unless I taste the robust goodness of beef and pork! With red wine as a perfect accompaniment, I can knock myself out on well-done roasts and steaks! And if you REALLY aren’t a fan, then why don’t you tuck in neatly into a lip-smacking, surefire success of a weight gain recipe for Chicken a La Kiev. Hmmmm... the only time I have experienced a visual bliss greater than the globs of molten butter oozing out of the crisp crumb-fried flesh, soft and warm on the inside, charred and crunchy on the outside, was during an incident I REALLY don’t wish to mention over here!

Bye Bye Birdie!

Duck, Chicken and Turkey…these are three winged delights we cannot do without during Christmas! However, there are power blocs of favouritism that would remind one of erstwhile USSR! While I have a prominent sweet tooth, cheering the Bong bandwagon all the way, I always end up stacking up on chicken hams, turkey loaves and of course, my absolute favourite, duck roast!

The mildly charred aroma of an infusion of herbs that tickles the strength of the buttery magic of a crisp roasted poultry skin is a delight more heavenly than the hallowed visage of the Pearly Gates! Done right, a roast is the best thing about Christmas…done wrong, you’ll forever be tainted as Judas’ Kiss! Crisp on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth on the inside, a subdued taste of the herb and onion infusion throughout and a stronger flavour to foil all of it…that makes the perfect roast! While most people use butter as a baste for the roasts, I also use dollops of mayonnaise! The yolky aftertaste that remains after the roasting, goes extremely well with the skin, very often the best part about the dish! Also, citrus infusions add freshness and zing to the stuffing. I stuff the turkey with an orange or a couple of lemons. The citrus flavour always offsets the heavy aroma of thyme, rosemary and garlic (Juju, all thanks to you!).

Vegan and Lay!

As for the vegetarians, while we know you cannot afford to have that little luxury called ...err...CHOICE, you can knock yourself out on lovely vegan delights! And remember…vegetarian is so passé! Vegan is the ‘in’ word! While it pinches me that I don’t enjoy the bliss of sharing a roast turkey with a few vegan friends, it being one of the heartiest traditions, I make sure they get their share of culinary delight in form of Nut Roast. Made with a variety of nuts bound with starch and baked and roasted to nutty crispiness, my mother’s Nut Roast is an annual ritual that can convert carnivores!

So as a toast to all the meaty, robust delights, and a few vegan delicacies, we raise a toast to one sense Christmas always relishes…that of tastes! So get your knives and forks ready…and your gym memberships after! To a Ho-ho-holly Jolly Xmas!

Viva La Diva!

2010-09-19T22:22:00.003+05:30

A dash of the burning crimson shellac on perfectly manicured nails, the slick dab of fire-engine red wailing sirens all over, a flash of décolletage and a tease of a glinty-eyed smirk… we are all rogues for a lady in vogue! As celluloid burns us up with its fiery women, with the camera fetishising over that herald-hark of beauty, we figure that there is more than taut screenplays and histrionic chops that ekes out a silhouette of entrancement, a tulip glass of desire, an enchantress of the senses. Celluloid has always been more than generous in its bounty of heady, feisty gals. However, what truly ups their ante is their garb that acts as their second skin. It imposes and blinds, it exposes and blows our minds… and even on its worst day out, sartorial splendour, for the actresses, is simply something that creates a statement, and a verve we follow, imitate, worship and that marks its niche well. We take a look at 8 such women in the 21^st century, whose sartorial rhapsody not only captured but also more than spurred (and…ahem…stirred!) many an imagination!

. Nicole Kidman as Satine in Moulin Rouge

Material Girl!

When the frenetic, lurid can-can ceased abruptly as the camera swooped up to create a fitting precedent to the grandest entry in cinema in recent times, we knew a star was inching the thresholds of superstardom. As the surroundings dancers faded into oblivion existing simply as red atmospheric whirlpools, it was Kidman’s Satine that enthralled, enthused, enchanted and entranced. And never before had a period film created such a flurry in the fashion world! From her drop-dead gorgeous bejewelled fish-scale corset, to the quasi-Indian pernicious reworking of a ghaghra choli, to the climactic sparkling vision of white, she flitted effortlessly from a shade of emotion to another, be it diva-licious allure, to heartbreaking vulnerability, to doomed stoicism… and looked bloody good doing so! In a performance of a lifetime, Kidman’s doomed courtesan eked in our minds the portraiture of a true diva for generations to come!

Couturier: Catherine Martin

Scene Stealer: Red satin may be a screamer, but when it graces Kidman’s porcelain pallor, it finds an able canvas to bloom! Her simple red bias cut satin gown spelt scarlet temptress loud and clear. As she croons to a deft mash-up of ballads, she epitomises romanticism, almost akin to a Whistler painting, though not without a dash of fiery heat!

2. Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada

Coochie Gucci Coo!

So, what was it about the acerbic, razor-tongued fashion editor a la Mama Wintour that simply bowled us out of the alley? Her snide post-scripts which incinerate any semblance of dignity to smithereens? Or her deadpan stare thereafter, not without a hint of amusement, as she gazes at the casualty?! Miranda Priestly’s steely resolve is augmented by that shock of platinum mane, and the impeccable taste that oozes from her Manolo Blahniks and Louboutins, and spells out sartorial victory through voluminous Dennis Basso furs, slinky Bill Blass silhouettes and coquettish Prada and Donna Karan couture. Moreover, her diva stardust sprinkles itself all over as soon as she delicately clutches those vogue-heavy specs in her turquoise studded French-manicured nifty digits and goes… “That’s all!” We LOVED those dismissals… and strongly hoped we’d never encounter such a boss from hell!

Couturier: Patricia Field

Scene Stealer: Poor little Andrea Sachs! An innocent snigger at a styling session over a choice of blue belts left her with a berating session more denigrating than a kindergarten punishment and a lesson on the importance of style and fashion! And while Missy Priestly taught and wrought condescendingly the importance of cerulean, her stunning gold Bil Blass coat stunned us… and proved that Meryl Streep is a charmer… and with those label ditties on her collar, she is fierce... That's all!

3. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale

The Name’s Lynd, Vesper Lynd!

In a role that thwarted every other Bond Bomshell off to a second position, Eva Green gave Bond girls something rarely seen before… a heart. And what a designer-laden heart it was! Her silent, vulnerable yet dynamic and feisty Lynd creates an impact that is very easily rationalised as being the reason to have shaped Bond’s cold, icy demeanour towards women. With every outfit worn by her, she masks her inner vulnerability ably with style and splendour… never mind the generous flash of décolletage distracting us time and again!

Couturier: Linda Hemming

Scene Stealer: While every outfit she wears is a stunner, her garb at Bond’s second go at the casino table, where the black wonderment harks a herald of tragic beauty, wows us endlessly. Perfect hairdo, perfect accessories, perfect shoes… she spelt out in bold what qualities Ian Fleming wanted Bond girls to embody, and class, sophistication and sharpness quite simply top the list.

4. Catherine Zeta Jones as Velma Kelly in Chicago

‘Belle’ Block Tango!

Nothing bears testimony more evidently to Zeta Jones’ success as murderess Velma Kelly in Rob Marshall’s cinematic reprisal of Chicago than the fact that all we see, hear and remember in the climactic ‘Hot Honey Rag’ sequence is Jones, Jones and only Jones! Zeta Jones did her showgirl roots proud as she shimmied away, dwarfing everyone from Zellweger, Gere and Latifah in the starry aura of her infamous character. And armed with the itsy-bitsy lingerie and the most smouldering panty-hose, her Velma overshadowed one and all… despite being four months pregnant!

Couturier: Colleen Atwood

Scene Stealer: From the moment the trumpets blare and the shifty piano squiggles it sway to the intro, Zeta Jones makes it all about her! And nothing proves it better that her booming rendition of ‘All That Jazz’! Dressed in the sexiest stage-garb, the all black ensemble and the sharp bob add the requisite deviant appeal to her flapper diva.

5. Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass

Mommy Fearest!

From the moment she glides onto the screen like an ominous sylph, her icy artifice chills one's spines. And nothing seems more dangerous than evil in the garb of such shimmering beauty! Kidman's Marisa Coulter means business and in yet another of her brilliantly underplayed roles, she speaks through her eyes... those piercing blue frigid orbs! While I know it is unfair to give her two spots on the same list, I have not seen an actress show such range in this millennium... and such an impressive body of work. However, in this case, what adds to Coulter's glamour is the wardrobe, that not only spells diva, but also walks the the tightrope between fantastical and relatable.

Couturier: Ruth Meyers

Scene Stealer: No one quite does icy cold as well as Kidman can. And the pinnacle of her unsettling frigidity is testified by her introductory sequence at the Oxford dinner hall. Gliding in a stunning gold beaded wonder like an alluring sylph, she turns every head. Her Greta Garbo-esque glamour enchants, while her icy demeanour unnerves. With her her neatly curled into a coquettish coif, her piercing blue eyes do the rest of the work. Now, seriously, who wouldn’t want a Mommy like that?! And no wonder Daniel Craig’s Asriel keeps ‘Bond’ing with the best!

6. Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo in Frida

Bohemian Rhapsody

She burnt it blue, she bloomed with fire, she flew like the swallow, she coloured with her desire… Hayek’s viscerally honest performance as the famed Mexican painter wowed one and all. While she incinerated the screen with Kahlo’s feisty fire and inimitable spirit, one thing that radiated beautifully was her attention to details vis-à-vis Kahlo’s impressive sartorial sense! Wrapped in red velvet as she danced the night away, Hayek proved a worthy heir to Kahlo’s vibrant sense of garb, replete with the roses in her coif and the lurid shawls. And, well, with that much diva quotient in a room, we REALLY don’t mind the unibrow and the hairy upper lip!

Couturier: Julie Weiss

Scene Stealer: While Weiss’ colours singe the screen in a spectrum of lurid frenzy, Hayek’s moment of awe comes in the most simple ensemble… in the red slinky dress she wears to spin some Sapphic salsa with Ashley Judd’s Tina Modotti. Radiant, understated and yet somehow aggressively alluring, this dress trumps over all others in this masterpiece.

7. Penelope Cruz as María Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woman on the Verge!

Hell hath no fury as a woman jilted! And fury has never been so alluring and might we say, so sexy! Cruz’s Maria Elena is off-kilter, stark raving mad! However, when it comes to oozing sex appeal and diva-licious attitude, she effortlessly trounces Scarlett Johansenn in the battle of the bombshells, giving Team Latina an edge over Team Blonde! As the camera lingers on Cruz’s volatile painter creating a beautiful artwork in her Daisy Duke overalls, we cannot help but sigh and rationalise why, after all, even Johansenn’s character ended up in a liaision with her! In a role spanning a little more than fifteen minutes, Cruz’s Maria Elena steals the show with a perfect recipe of anger, madness, Hispanic cockiness and smouldering sex appeal!

Couturier: Sonia Grande

Scene Stealer: As the chica poses, purrs and indulges Johansenn’s Cristina in a photoshoot, with a cigarette fetishisingly smoking up her aura, we realise how her rashly put together ensemble of the pink lace slip dress is any day a triumph over many a structured runway look. Nonchalantly posing against a graffiti-laden shutter, the image is an iconic one bound to linger in our heads.

8. Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde

A Life in Pink!

Yep! Her resume is pink AND scented! And God be damned if you thought orange is the new pink! Elle Woods knows fashion, and she simply is NOT a dumb blonde with daddy’s plastic! Being red hot… errrm…fuchsia hot, Witherspoon’s Woods embodied every noble ideal ever espoused in the Book of Values… Prada, Pink and Pride! And boy, does she colour the courtroom or what! A true diva by default due to her natural membership in the blonde club, Woods became a signature role for Witherspoon, shooting her to the top rungs, and she gaily painted the town pink while doing so!

Couturier: Sophie Carbonell

Scene Stealer: Errrm…remember the courtroom scene? If it were any less rip-roaringly funny, the flash of hot pink against the austere, stark black robes would have clearly been a Gondry motif espousing some great philosophical conundrum! However, in that flash of pink, (pun ENTIRELY intended!) and not a hair out of place, she rewrote fashion rules and broke pink from the bounds of candy-tepid prettiness and relegated it to a revered colour on the runways.

Not To Forget:

· Sienna Miller as Edie Sedgewick in Factory Girl

· Audrey Tatou as Coco Chanel in Coco Avant Chanel

· Anjelina Jolie as Lara Croft in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

· Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City

· Jennifer Aniston as Brooke Meyers in The Break-Up

Mighty 'Aphrodite': A Review for Kylie Minogue's 'Aphrodite'

2010-09-05T10:31:00.010+05:30

As she rises from the frothy waves of throbbing disco beats, the queen of disco, Kylie Minogue, establishes one basic truth: we may go gaga over Gaga, and do it again and again with Britney, but when it comes to dance-pop, we just can’t get Kylie out of our head! With her eleventh studio album, the diminutive songstress celebrates her dance-floor roots, and in doing so, revels in beauty and love in a mood very different from her dark predecessor album, X.

While her collaboration with hefty names in the electronica genre, like Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters, Madonna collaborator Stuart Price and Calvin Harris seem to create a mark, this time around, it’s Kylie being Kylie all over again, and unabashedly so! While the album isn’t as high-tempo as and grungy as X or as downtempo as Light Years, it walks the tight-rope between the ends of the spectrum as deftly as she did on her biggest success till date, Fever.

The album’s strength lies in that it showcases a more unified soundscape than Minogue’s previous outings. Keeping the tracks sleek, elegant and very easy on the ears, it runs the danger of being lightweight candyfloss fare, but never loses dignity.

The most notable track on the album is ‘All The Lovers’, whose squiggly synths create a reverberating tone similar to ‘In Your Eyes’ and ‘Secret’. Frothy, addictive and intensely hummable, the song is a hands-on winner! With ‘Get Outta My Way’ she exudes a brazen confidence coupled with an electro-pop femininity that reminds us greatly of Madonna’s Music phase. While it isn’t exactly an Alison Krauss critic-pleaser, it rouses and grooves deftly.

Tracks like ‘Put Your Hands Up’, ‘Closer’ and ‘Can’t Beat The Feeling’ remind us time and again of the Fever-era, and her fusion of 80’s disco hangover with 21^st century Europop and electro-pop. ‘Illusion’ takes a very MGMT/Phoenix-esque turn, with dance-pop infused with a taste of alternative electronica. One can find roving similarities between this number and MGMT’s ‘Kids’.

One major misstep on the album, however remains ‘Everything is Beautiful’, where she uses her vocals, which isn’t exactly her strongest talent! Sounding like another number from the bounty of Britney’s ballads, its words are laughable and are painfully immature. ‘Better Than Today’, is also highly passable, with no replay value whatsoever.

However, for every bad song, she comes up with a track like ‘Aphrodite’ that marks her genius with fast, groovy beats. This track showcases why she has such mindboggling enduring power akin to Madonna’s! However, while Madonna rules owing to her chameleon-like ability to change, Minogue exists and endures because of her loyalty to her listeners and her sound. She gives them what she is good…nopes…GREAT at! She makes us dance and practise those precious pelvic thrusts that Bollywood has taught us! “I'm fierce and I'm feeling mighty, I'm a golden girl, I'm an Aphrodite”, she croons alluringly, in a passionate fit of seductive narcissism! And this time it seems to be clothed in brazen Gaultier regalia!

While the album doesn’t take any experimental routes at all, it remains an addictive listen! At the end, while she proclaims proudly “Dance, It’s all I wanna do”, we figure that’s all we would want to do, too. Therein lies the magic of Minogue… in coercing us to groove to the glittering disco lights and the shimmering dancefloors, with never a dull moment to spare!

Fahrenheit Samosa/Shinghara!

2010-09-03T14:36:00.002+05:30

When the sweltering heat of Kolkata’s muggy summers finds respite in the relentless showers of the monsoons, some of the vignettes that flit immediately into one’s mind are those of a quintessential Bangali babu wading through the knee-deep water, dhoti rolled to the thighs (!), the grey skies mottled with black crows enjoying the fresh air, the delicious mouth-watering aroma of a rain drizzled Maidan, and of course, the multi-sensuous sight of an evening of casual banter over hot cha(tea…Assam outgoing, Darjeeling incoming!) and shinghara or samosas! However, what we used to gobble readily as a pipinghot evening snack, is arguably a spurious snack today, with the journey from mildly spicy potato and cauliflower filling being supplemented for …well a whole dystopian story of globalised noodles, amchur, and anything and everything that’s a leftover in the fridge!

The shinghara is a Bengali version of what can be considered one of the most ubiquitous snacks all over Asia! While we stuff them with potatoes and cauliflowers, lamb-filled samsas from Kazakhstan are usually baked, Mediterranean sambusas, once again for the carnivores, makes for an excellent salad accompaniment and even closer home Goanese chamucas are deep-fried and filled with spicy beef or pork. No wonder I saw the samosa as an illustration in the dictionary beside ‘variety’! And variety it has been as the original shinghara has dwindled in tradition with only a handful of places actually serving the piping hot delicacies today! While spurious versions of the Bengali snack sell like hot cross buns, Bengalis aren’t enthused.

Among the few places that sell the erstwhile shingara, there is Saraswati Mistanna Bhandar near Purna Cinema. And a walk near the shop actually feels like a walk down old Kolkata! With youngsters playing carrom over bhars of cha, animated debates on the CPM government and heated discussions on the last cricket match that India lost (often with an ode to every Kolkattan’s second cousin…Sourav Ganguly!). While one can get a few shops in North Kolkata, very few places sell the real shingara. Phulkopir shingara (cauliflower filled samosa) also happen to be a massive hit. And as for the quintessential hard-core carnivore, keema shinghara (samosa filled with a spicy mincemeat filling) is an indulgence that only the partakers of such a pleasure will understand!

Wandering on the streets and lanes of the charmingly old city of Kolkata, one cannot help but notice the seemingly unending queue of roadside samosa-sellers. However, on closer inspection, most of these are spurious versions of what we have been sampling as a grandma’s recipe. Every erstwhile housewife’s age-old recipe for the Bong shingara may just be forgotten with the times. A light mixture of shallow fried potatoes along with a hint of garlicky tang…that is the ideal filling! Not the first among those to rue the lack of availability of these titbits in the market, I feel that what we get in the markets has nothing Bengali about it. It has peanuts, amchur(dried unripened mango powder) and is so spicy that one too many indulgences can lead to a bad tummy day!

So have our tastes really changed THAT much? Is it true that akin to McDonaldisation that the West incurred, we are facing a possible Haldiram-isation?! Mediocre tastes, unhealthy oil…why do we chomp on despite being unsure as to whether we actually like them or not? There is just one answer…cultural change! The Bangaliana, that we so fondly used to protect and nurture, is withering away. Be it in terms of literature, music, and most importantly food. Let’s take an oath to prevent our culture from getting eroded. And with the shingara as our flagship symbol, the battle isn’t very difficult to win! So in the spirit of evening addas, hallmarks of opinionated crowds, and a war-cry of rumbling epicurean tummies, we have a war ahead… the war of the taste buds!

Book Review: Specimen Days by Michael Cunningham

2010-09-02T13:03:00.000+05:30

“Fear not O Muse! truly new ways and days receive, surround you,

I candidly confess a queer, queer race, of novel fashion,
And yet the same old human race, the same within, without,
Faces and hearts the same, feelings the same, yearning the same,
The same old love, beauty and use the same.”
(Walt Whitman)

The first few lines in Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham’s latest literary outing prove his love for Walt Whitman’s poetry. He established his mastery with words and secondary sources with the poignantly interwoven The Hours, which deftly wove the literary air of another masterpiece, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway to create a tragic and symbolic narrative that hardly left any reader unaffected. His follow up novel, Specimen Days, generously borrows from Whitman’s epochal work, The Leaves of Grass, like The Hours. Writing three parallel stories with obtuse similarities and common themes of redemption, guilt, escape and hope, Cunningham goes inventive and innovative as he dabbles in drama, crime noir and science fiction in the stories entitled In the Machine, The Children’s Crusade and Like Beauty, respectively.

Characters

Cunningham paints three characters, Simon, Catherine and Lucas, in three different times and spaces. Barring a few common characteristics, and phonetically similar names, the three characters seem totally different in all the three stories. In In the Machine, Simon is a beautiful young boy who dies in an industrial accident, Catherine is his beautiful fiancée grieving over his loss and Lucas is his deformed brother wrestling with this tragedy. The Children’s Crusade sees Cat is an NYPD officer, Simon, her businessman partner and Luke, a child terrorist. Finally in Like Beauty, Simon is an outlaw male cyborg, Catareen, an alien lizard, and Luke, a homeless boy.

A strain of tragedy runs through all the characters. The three characters take turns in assuming primary importance, with Lucas, Cat and Simon headlining the narratives in In the Machine, The Children’s Crusade and Like Beauty, respectively.

Comparisons with The Hours are inevitable...

Plot

In the Machine: This story, set during the 1870’s Industrial revolution deals with struggles with ghosts of the past, and fears of the unknown, symbolic of the fear of the machine age. The story speaks of how Lucas and Catherine finally free themselves of the dreadful emotional clutches of Simon’s death and find comfort within each other.

The Children’s Crusade: Easily the most engaging of the lot, the plot sees Cat, in post 9/11 jittery New York, trying to solve the mystery of a terrorist outfit that uses children as suicide bombers and her dissolving relationship with Simon, her boyfriend, due to her obsession with the case as well as Luke, one of the child terrorists.

Like Beauty: Partly allusive, partly innovative and partly unintelligible, this story speaks of Simon, a male cyborg in who is in love with another male cyborg, Marcus but also develops feelings for Catareen, an alien humanoid lizard, who gets killed due to her attachment to a human child, Luke.

Style

One thing that is commendable about Cunningham is his unique literary style. He characterises his works with an obsession with the number 3, a deliberate borrowing from another literary source and a morbid fascination for death. His plain prose interspersed with complex Whitman poetry creates the perfect contrast of styles. He paints the characters in a way that the circumstances take precedence over them and their actions. There are distinct underlying themes of death, escape, and redemption, in rather morose form. Even the redemptions are left unclear, rather like Richard Yates’ novels. Dark, brooding and eloquent, this novel pushes Cunningham’s legacy forward.

Whitman's effect looms heavily over the fatalistic narrative...

The Flaws

· Arguably lacking the clarity and lucidity of The Hours, this novel feels a little too taxing on the brains due to its convoluted and complex plot, especially in Like Beauty.

· Many will be hard-pressed to find similarities among the three novellas.

· Clearly not meant for everyone, the morbid themes can repel a lot of readers.

· The ambiguity, though a literary tool used to great effect in the stories, may leave too many unanswered questions for some readers.

· While The Hours grappled with death, a well-defined fact, Specimen Days deals with desires of escape and achieving more than mere survival, decidedly more abstract concepts.

· Like his previous outings, this one too is written for a niche readership.

Pulitzer Winner Cunningham creates yet another thought-provoker...

The Praise

· None of Cunningham’s contemporaries know how to weave secondary sources as deftly as Cunningham does. The way he entwines Whitman’s poetry and his philosophies on life and death is masterful in the least.

· The characters, though not very deep work like furniture against symbolic palettes of the times and circumstances. The situations are the source of all action, not the characters and this approach, if consciously examined, brings logic.

· The language treads the fine balance of articulate and beautiful.

· In a bravura move to experiment with genres as well as styles, Cunningham shines through.

Pepper Puccini Pantomime: Pitter Patter, Fritter Batter

2010-09-01T19:57:00.000+05:30

Pepper Puccini Pantomime: Pitter Patter, Fritter Batter: "A drop of that transparent nectar as the parched woods find their reincarnate, the mouth-wateringly overwhelming aroma of freshly drenched l..."

Pitter Patter, Fritter Batter

2010-09-01T19:16:00.001+05:30

A drop of that transparent nectar as the parched woods find their reincarnate, the mouth-wateringly overwhelming aroma of freshly drenched lands ready to blossom greens, the gentle drubbing of misty raindrops on weather-beaten glass-panes… the squelch and squalour of muddy monsoons matters not as the moist respite assaults our every sight, sound and smell. In this godsend of a season, Bengali tastebuds get an experience in the guise of ‘tele-bhaja’, steaming hot vegetable fritters in chickpea flour batter, bathed in the robust aroma of bubbling hot mustard oil!

Telebhaja, translated literally into 'fried in oil', paints portraitures of gray-tinted havens, of muggy air tinted with a faint chill, of good times replete with familial bonding, and of endlessly enjoyable addas. All these elements come to a head with the very first shower of relief. Out comes the kadai, and with it the spluttering crackle of the batter hitting the bubbling hot mustard oil… and platters full of fritters vanish faster than an eclipse sighting!

So, what goes onto the making of this delectable concoction that forms such an integral part of a culture? The obvious condiments, but not without a dollop of passion, love and a wee bit of syrupy gluttony! The rule of the thumb for picking the veggies for the fritters is to choose the blandest ones possible so as to create an apt canvas for the batter to work its palette of flavours.

While the creamy-white softness of eggplants finds perfect coupling in the chickpea flour batter (besan) speckled with onion seeds (kalaunji), often the opaque blandness of potatoes find an able foil in a generous smattering of fiery hot cayenne powder in the batter! And of course, to assault the taste buds one can always take the custard-yellow mellow sweetness of pumpkin slices and let some spicy batter play havoc, or, for a recipe for special occasions, let pumpkin blossoms engulfed in crisp fritter batter join hands with the zany choke of kasundi (mustard sauce)!

A Bengali’s scheme of things is ever incomplete without a generous smattering of smattering of gastronomic pleasures and aimlessly wandering intellectual platitudes! The customary evening chai session forges a marriage bond with adda better than fish and water… and of course how can one ever forget the conversations, piqued with the mention of anything so much as anointed with the wand of controversy, be it Marxian idealism, Tagorean poetry, Dada’s pitch-‘im’perfect performances or the age-old Mohun Bagan-East Bengal rivalry?! In this reverie fit for a world etched by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, amidst the impassioned tussle between robust bangal cuisine and luxurious ghoti cuisine, one star that shines out bright and right is the Bengali passion for food! Endless Baudrillardian discourses on globalisation could be proven faulty if we witness how, despite the obvious influx of westernisation and globalisation, the good old laconic evenings remain a visible motif in the Bong connection… thanks to the small ‘fries’ in a big, fat cultural pond!