Bengali filmmaker adapts Eric Segal's Love Story
Quick on the heels of Neel Rajar Deshe, Riingo's third film Love will hit the theatres on March 8. Riingo has written the screenplay adapted from Erich Segal's Love Story, a novel that has been made into celluloid versions in almost all popular languages in the Indian mainstream. Jisshu Sengupta and Koel Mullick play the star-crossed lovers Rahul and Ria respectively. "I am lucky to be playing the role Ryan O'Neal played so many years ago. It is one of the biggest love stories every written. Like me, my character Rahul Roy too believes in love and falls for Ria Fernandez's simplicity and straightforward nature," says Jisshu. Says Koel, "I play Ria, a Christian music teacher who falls in love with a rich man's son. I believe in the character though the tragic end is very painful,"
Produced by Srikant Mohta and presented by Shri Venkatesh Films, Love promises a melodious music track by Jeet Gangopadhyay and songs sung by Monali Thakur, Dibyendu and Saptak. Others in the cast are George Baker, Chaitali Dasgupta, Krishnakishore Mukherjee and Rajat Ganguly. The film has been shot extensively in the picturesque locales of Darjeeling.
Tanusree Shankar choreographs for Bhansali
Noted danseuse, choreographer, actress and dance teacher Tanusree Shankar, widow of Ananda Shankar and daughter-in-law of the famous pair Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar , has been roped in by Sanjay Leela Bhansali to choreograph Padmavati, an opera Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been commissioned to direct. Theatre du Chatelet in Paris has been so impressed with Bhansali's work that it thought of giving him this wonderful opportunity. Albert Roussel wrote Padmavati in the early 20th century following his trip to Rajasthan. It is based on the famous legend surrounding Rani Padmini of Chittor who jumped to her death in a ditch of fire (johar) to save herself from being violated by invader Allauddin Khilji who attacked Chittor.
Sanjay has handpicked 22 dancers from Tanusree's troupe along with three Manipuri performers from Imphal to form the core of dancers. Seven pieces have been choreographed to Roussel's philharmonic orchestra. Fashion designer Rajesh Pratap Singh has designed the costumes for the entire cast while Omang Kumar who created the aesthetic black-and-blue look for Bhansali's Black and Saawariya respectively, has been vested with the responsibility of the scenography.
Taslima's visa extended, but with freedom curbed
The residential permit of Taslima Nasreen, now living in confinement in a "safe house" in New Delhi, was extended further, but there is no hope for the exiled Bangladeshi writer to live like a free citizen in India in near future. The visa- or residential permit- of Nasreen was extended with effect from Feb 17, the writer said but she was also told by the Indian government that the restrictions imposed on her movement would continue. "An external affairs ministry official told me that my permit would be extended. But I would not be allowed to move out of this place, meet friends, accept guests or return to Kolkata," Nasreen said."I am myself surprised that I am living like this. My only hope is that one day I would be able to return to Kolkata, where I have set up a home over the years. But that is like hoping against hope going by the developments," she said. "I am pretty confused about the objective of the government. What purpose would it serve if I live like this?" she said. "I am not happy. I am living in stress. But I want to live in India and return to Kolkata. So I am bearing it all," Nasreen said.
A section of intellectuals continue to mobilise support for the writer whose fearless expressions on the state of women in Islam and the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh antagonised clerics and governments, forcing her to live in exile and under heavy security since the 1990s.
India good enough for World Group: Mahesh
India's doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi recently said the country had a team promising enough to qualify for the World Group of Davis Cup. "India now has a big chance of moving to the world group if they play well," he said. The Asia-Oceania Davis Cup Group I semi-final against Japan is scheduled in April.
If India beat Japan they will advance to the World Group play-off and be within hand-shaking distance of regaining their position in the World Group. India entered the semi-final last week, beating Uzbekistan 3-2 at the R K Khanna Stadium in the national Capital.
"I have great faith in Prakash Amritraj. I am a great believer in his ability. He is a great prospect for Indian tennis. He can really do well in the coming days," Bhupathi said lauding the youngster for his courageous win over Farrukh Dustov in the decider. About him pairing with Leander Paes, he said, "We don't see playing together before the Beijing Olympics." Bhupathi, who has 10 Grand Slam doubles titles in the bag, is due to partner Mark Knowles of Bahamas in the men's doubles. The Le-Hesh pair has not played together since December, 2006, when they won the Asian Games doubles gold medal in Doha, after which they announced that they would never play together again. But lately both the players have said that country was much bigger than individual egos and they would always team up if it was a matter of playing for the country. Talking about Sania Mirza opting out of the two tournaments in India this year, he said, "She is not fully fit. She is mentally fatigued. She is not in a position to play." "She has around six more years of tennis left and so skipping two tournaments in the country one year will not make a big difference."
Kolkata bids for UNESCO World City of Literature title
The ignominy of failing to hold this year's book fair as scheduled may be haunting Kolkata, but the city of countless poets and writers has thrown its hat in the ring for the World City of Literature title bestowed by UNESCO. At a city hotel recently, the city's intelligentsia gathered under the auspicies of British Council to formally launch its bid for UNESCO's coveted World City of Literature title.
Scotland's capital city Edinburgh is the first, and till date, the only city designated by UNESCO as a World City of Literature, under its Creative Cities Network programme. British Council Scotland, which played a key role in securing the bid for Edinburgh in 2004, initiated a dialogue with British Council East India and this set in motion a complex process that has resulted in putting together of the bid.
Sujata Sen, Director of British Council East India, presented to the citizens of Kolkata the bid document she hoped will secure the title of World City of Literature from UNESCO, in the presence of writers Nabarun Bhattacharya, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, Bani Basu, Swapan Chakravorty and Roy Cross, Director British Council Sotland and a trustee of Edinburgh World City of Literature Trust. A short film made that complements the bid was also screened.
The bid document's journey has been an amazing one. It started in 2006, with a team from Kolkata visiting Edinburgh, the first city to successfully bid for UNESCO's World City of Literature in 2004.
British Council Scotland had a key role to play in Edinburgh's bid and the Council's Kolkata office initiated a dialogue between the two cities of equal literary pre-eminence. A visit by several writers from Kolkata to the Edinburgh Book Festival followed in 2007. If ever two great cities sat down for an adda, that Bengali word for meandering conversations, then this was it.
Sujata Sen described the bid document "as a truly collaborative and consultative process that welds together a wealth of diverse inputs from custodians of Kolkata's literary heritage and present prosperity, and all of the city's stakeholders.
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