A special Letter of Appreciation

This is a letter sent by my friend Mr. Amol Mali after he completed reading 'just another LOVE STORY' . Regarding Amol, He is a senior research fellow in Food Division of UDCT pursuing his PhD. I dedicate this letter to all the Maharashtrians who know Marathi

प्रिय मित्र आनंद..

कसा आहेस..??? तुला एकदम आश्चर्य वाटेल एकदम असे मराठीतून मी का लिहितो आहे..?? अरे तुझे पुस्तक 'Just Another Love Story' आजच वाचून संपवले..एका फटक्यातच सलग वाचून काढले...'अप्रतिम' या शिवाय दुसरा शब्दच नाही..!!! काय कल्पनाविष्कार आहे यार तुझा..? त्याला खरंच काही तोड नाही..! सगळ्यात पहिली गोष्ट जी मला जाणवली ते तुम्ही वाचकाचा प्रवास वर्तमानातून सुरु करून भविष्यात घेऊन जातोस आणि परत अगदी योग्य वेळेस वर्तमानात त्यांना घेऊन येता..!!! यु.डी.सी.टी. तसेच दादर मध्ये असताना चे पण जे प्रसंग वर्णन तू केले आहेस ते पण मस्तच एकदम..सर्व जागा, ठिकाण, बस थांबा सर्व जे जे कुणी यु.डी.सी.टी.शी संबधित आहे...ते तो प्रसंग सहजपणे डोळ्यासमोर आणू शकतात आणी त्यातच खरी त्याची मजा आहे. वाचकांना तुम्ही त्यातच अगदी मंत्रमुग्ध करून टाकता. माझ्या बाबतीत पण अगदी असेच घडले, प्रत्येक प्रसंग अगदी त्या ठिकाणी तुम्हा दोघात काय झाले असेल हे चक्क मी visualise करत होतो. सर्व बाकीच्या जागा पण माझ्या एकदम ओळखीच्या आणि काही माझ्यासाठी पण एकदम खास आहेत..(ग्रीन्स, वरळी सी फेस, शिवाजी पार्क, इत्यादी). मला तू लिहिलेले quotes पण भारी आवडले..खास करून " 'It is very difficult to find a best friend in your husband....', 'Why we had gaps in our fingers...' and many more. सर्व प्रसंग आणि क्षण या सर्वांची एक मस्त सुरेख अशी गुंफण तुम्ही केली आहे, जी वाचकांच्या मनाला फार भावून जाते. वाचकांना तुम्ही किती आणि कुठपर्यंत तुमच्या कथेत गुंतून ठेवता यातच तुम्हा दोघांचे यश आहे आणि त्यात तुम्ही दोघे अगदी १०० % यशस्वी झाला आहात यात तिळमात्र शंका नाही..!!!
तुमच्या परवानगीने मला या पुस्तकावर आधारित अशी एक मराठी एकांकिका करायची इच्छा आहे. सध्या मी आय.एन.टी. मृगजळ, इ. एकांकिकेसाठी बाहेरून काम करत आहे, खास करून प्रत्येक नाटकाच्या संहितेवर..पुढ्या वर्षी कदाचित जर योग्य संधी मिळाली तर हि एकांकिका मी या स्पर्धेसाठी करू इच्छितो बघा तुम्ही विचार करून..तुमची परवानगी घेऊनच मी स्क्रिप्ट लिहायला सुरवात करेन..!!! मला खात्री आहे तुमची ही Love Story जास्तीत जास्त वाचकापर्यंत पोचेल आणि तुम्ही देखील फक्त या Love Story पर्यंत मर्यादित न राहता आम्हा वाचकांसाठी साठी अजून काहीतरी घेऊन याल..!!! पुढील वाटचालीसाठी तुम्हा दोघांना माझ्या मनापासून शुभेछ्या..!!!

आपलाच मित्र आणि पुस्तकप्रेमी
अमोल माळी

Needless to say, any type of creator loves a word of appreciation from another Creative person.

TIP TIP BARSA PANI…

Accidentally, I came across ‘tip tip barsa pani’ song While I was surfing through the channels. It had just started at that time and Akshay Kumar (the honest police inspector) was entering the arena with his umbrella, as the rain keeps pouring down heavily… unknown of the fact that Raveena, ( the reporter) girl he liked, would be there in that sensual look. At that moment the song starts. I don’t know how many of you would know the music director’s name but he has given such a beautiful and sensual music to make this song worth. I loved three things about this particular song. 1st. Gorgeous Raveena in her most sexiest look….(believe me.. she hasn’t shown anything.. yet she showed everything… ).. in fact that’s the most important reason why I love this song. There is always a charm in hiding everything yet conveying the thought.
2nd would be the atmosphere in which the song has been shot. Wow… and third.. the combined effect of Viju Shah’s music, good lyrics and lovely dance steps.. It simply made me feel like dancing in rain with ….
I completed watching the song and then I watched it again and again on the internet.
It had an engrossing effect on me. I just loved it. Among the few songs shot which had a sensual effect on audience, ( Madhuri’s’ Dhak Dhak karane laga’ or Sushmita Sen’s Dilbar Dilbar or Bipasha Baus’s Jadu Hain Nasha hai, or Kareena’s ‘ Ye mera dil pyar ka diwana’) that I like..Raveena’s Tip Tip Barsa Pani had a different place. (I am not talking about item songs here by the way.. these all songs have been filmed on lead actresses.)
Originally Divya Bharati was the lead. She was replaced by Raveena due to her sudden death. The film (Mohra) was a huge hit (year 1994). Still remembered mainly for the popular songs, like tu chij badi hai masta masta, tip tip barsa pani etc.
Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan’s lovely voice, Viju Shah’s effective music, Rain Dance with apt lighting by the cinematographer Damodar Naidu, Akshay kumar and Raveena Tandon’s on screen chemistry , effective dance steps made the song extremely popular.
The song keeps lingering on my mouth and Ravishing Raveena (in her sexy yellowish Saree only showing navel) keeps on appearing in front of my eyes each time I whisper.. tip tip barsa pani…..
Cheers
Anand

We are responsible…for the mess aren’t we?

From today onwards, I guess he would never throw a remaining bud of cigarette on the road, at least not near Dadar TT I hope.
It was a usual evening like any other, people were returning from work. The Dadar station was very much crowded. We reached dadar station by 7 o’clock. Vishal had to buy some sweets for some personal reason so he and I were walking towards dadar TT. We stopped at a ‘TAPARi ‘near the station. Vishal is a chain smoker by d way. He asked the person to give him his usual brand. He lighted it and started pumping his lungs.
“Why do people smoke? What kind of joy smokers get after putting chunk of smoke inside their body and then throwing it outside, creating passive smokers?” I asked.
“Start smoking and you would come to know” Vishal said with a little arrogant tone. I shrugged.
We were walking towards Dadar TT’s famous Mithai Shop. It was a beautiful evening.
We were completely engrossed in talking regarding our office politics and didn’t realize that someone was standing few centimeters from us, closely observing us.
Smoky smokerson was about to finish his 6th cigarette for the day. He puffed the last turn and threw the cigarette bud on the road and as usual put a left feet on it. The moment he did it, two guys who were closely observing us till now, came to us (as if they were waiting for this) and said,
“Sorry dude, we are government officials on duty. Our job is to catch persons who are making Mumbai dirty.”
At first we thought, it was a big joke but then later we realize that they were not kidding. They showed us their ID’s and rules and regulation sheets etc.
“You have to pay fine for doing this. What’s your name?” One guy said and started scribbling down my friend’s name and his address etc.
“How much is the fine?” Vishal asked.. Now in bit worried tone.
“Only 200 Rs. Sir” He said. Shit hell… 200 bucks for throwing a bud on the road. This was first time, I was hearing it happening in India. Vishal had gone to Singapore and he knew the strict rules. So he obeyed them there. But when it comes to India, Look at the attitude of a person.
“Here is 200 bucks. Give me official receipt that I had broken the rule.” Vishi said.
“Sure Sir” The guy filled in all the details and gave it to Vishal.
“What were we supposed to do with the bud of cigarette? Should we carry it to our home? Vishal asked sarcastically while giving 200 bucks to that guy.
“Sir, you are supposed to put it in dustbin. There are lots of dustbins we are trying to provide. Also, you can smoke the cigarette near TAPARI from where you purchased it and throw it in dustbin near Pan Tapari.” He said coolly while giving receipt to Vishal.
He took it and we started walking towards sweet shop.
My friend LOST 200 bucks for simple mistake. But it was necessary. I hope he learned his lesson.
We all should become responsible citizens now and make INDIA a proud country.
After all we are responsible for this mess, aren’t we?

Erich Segal’s Man Woman and Child & Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom.

Almost 70-80% of the movies are inspired either from a novel or from a short/long story. But when we start comparing the two, it becomes evident that almost in majority of the cases; novels justify the basic idea of creator much more than films do. Hence people who have read the particular novel and have watched the film based upon the same novel, in majority of the cases tend to say that Novel is far more better than the movie. Take Da vinci Code or The Godfather or Primal Fear for example, now all these films are excellent, no doubt about this but those of you who have read the novel would say, “ya , but the novel is better” that is because, you could not get the feeling of satisfaction after watching a movie as compared to reading the novel. Anyway there are few exceptions and Shekhar Kapur’s MASOOM is one of them.
I have seen Masoom thousands of times and recently I also read the novel upon which Masoom is based. Erich Segal’s Man Woman and Child. I adore Erich Segal and I respect every novelist and I always try to take a side of Novelist when it comes to the battle between writers, as Novelist against Screen Writers.
No two products can be compared in any case but the sense of satisfaction that I got after watching Masoom, Man Woman and Child failed to produce it. I would not here tell the End cause it would spoil the whole idea for future readers of the book and audience as far as the movie is concerned. But I have to say that Shekhar Kapur (Director) and Gulzar (screen writer) had given justice to the brilliant idea of Erich Segal’s. For the idea, no doubt, the credit goes to only one man, Erich Segal himself.
Anyway both the creations are fabulous and I strongly will recommend for all the people who haven’t still watched Masoom or read Man Woman and Child to do the same.
I always cry during R D Burman’s two songs “Do naina or Ek kahani” and “ Tujhse Naraj Nahi Jindagi- Female Version”. In fact the great Latabai also could not hide her emotions and have made a little mistake while singing the song, listen to it and those who are good in music would be able to recognize it. Everyone liked it so they decided to keep it as it was looking natural and not artificial. The last scene in the film, the Gun on head (as we say in screen writer’s language) was so much dramatically shot that even audience feel some pressure. I think novel has failed to build up this pressure. End in both art forms are different and I loved both the Ends.
This is pure magic. Those of you who want to see magic, please read Erich Segal’s Mman Woman and Child & Watch Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom.

Cheers
Anand