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Film

Attend: 20th European Film Festival comes to Mumbai

21 award-winning European films will be showcased at two south Mumbai venues starting today, courtesy the 20th European Film Festival.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The 20th European Union Film Festival starts in Mumbai today, and everyone’s invited.

The Age of CannibalsHead to the NCPA and Alliance Francaise Auditorium to watch the films of your choice. As many as 21 award-winning latest European films will showcase different genres of European cinema over 10 days. The event is presented by the Delegation of the European Union to India, embassies of member states of the European Union, presented in Mumbai by the German Consulate, Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai and Alliance Fracaise.

The festival will open today at the Little Theatre at NCPA, in collaboration with NCPA. Refer to the schedule below for timings and films.

Film schedule: Little Theatre, NCPA (May 8, 2015 to May 12, 2015)

8.5.2015 5.00 pm – 5.45 pm
Reception and Opening		 5.45 pm
Germany – The Age of Cannibals (Zeit der Kannibalen) (93 min)		 8.00 pm
Latvia-Pizzas(63 m)
9.5.2015 3.30 pm
Greece-A Palace Called Home (108  m)		 6.00 pm
Bulgaria-The Foreigner (94 m)		 8.00 pm
Cyprus-Committed (85 m)
10.5.2015 3.30 pm
Belgium-Go, Eddy!  (97 m)		 6.00 pm
Czech-The Don Juans (102 m)		 8.00 pm
Finland-The Boy Upside Down (130 m)
11.5.2015 6.00 pm
Denmark-The Keeper of Lost Causes (100 m)		 8.00 pm
Croatia-Vis-A-Vis (77 m)
12.5.2015 6.00 pm
Portugal-A Woman’s revenge (140 m)

Alliance Francaise Auditorium (May 13 to May 17, 2015)

13.5.2015 6.30 pm
France- Jappeloup (130 m)
14.5.2015 6.30 pm
Estonia – Living Images (135 m)
15.5.2015 3.30 pm
Sweden-The Last Sentence (124 m)		 6.30 pm
Poland  – Ida – (82 m)
16.5.2015 12.00 pm
Republic of Slovakia:  Candidate (106 m)		 3.00 pm
Hungary-The Ambassador To Bern (76 m)		 6.00 pm
Spain: Balcanieves(Snowhite)(105 m)
17.5.2015 12.00 pm
Luxembourg-The Symmetry of Butterfly(100 m)		 3.00 pm
Slovenia-Shanghai Gypsy (124 m)		 6.00 pm
Netherlands-Soof (96 m)

All films are in original language with English subtitles. Entry is free, first-come-first-served.

(Pictures courtesy

Categories
Do

Engage your child this summer

The NCPA hosts a range of activities for children in Mumbai to spend their vacations learning various arts and crafts.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Wondering what to do with your restless, bored child this summer? Channel his or her inner creativity through a series of fun activities at the NCPA.

Since 2010, the NCPA decided to initiate a ‘Summer Fiesta’ as a means to reach out to children and offer them an exciting way to spend their vacations.
Over the years, children have enjoyed a series of plays and films picked for them, as well as a range of engaging and creativity-enhancing workshops in theatre, dance, photography, puppetry, art, craft, creative writing, poetry, animation film-making and many others with masters in their fields.

This year…

The 2015 edition of Summer Fiesta offers children an exciting way to spend their holidays. It is a month long festival that encourages their development through the performing arts. (See the event schedule here).

Children can look forward to workshops on acting, photography and craft, among others, apart from participating in singing, dancing and debate contests.

Look up booking details here. The fiesta has started on May 1, 2015.

(Picture courtesy NCPA, Mumbai. Image used is a file picture)

Categories
Event

Attend: Kiran Nagarkar presents ‘Bedtime Story’

Noted author of ‘Ravan and Eddie’ will read his famous story, and screenplay ‘Black Tulip’ this evening at Kala Ghoda.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

If you like writer Kiran Nagarkar’s work, you will certainly want to be at Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda, this evening.

Nagarkar will launch and read out excerpts from his controversial play Bedtime Story, which, playwrights say is “a very disturbing play – and that in an era of theatre when it is very hard to disturb audiences.” The play was written in 1982 and Nagarkar found it extremely hard to get it staged because of its controversial, experimental content. The story of the play is a retelling of the Mahabharata, in which the reader is presented with the Pandavas as flawed heroes with follies, and the Kauravas as only marginally worse. The choice, then, is between what is dark and what is darker. After the play’s content was censored and actors became afraid to be a part of the project, it was first performed in 1995 in Mumbai.

The writer will also launch the screenplay of Black Tulip, at the same event. He will be in conversation with senior journalist Srinivasan Jain about the many issues his two works raise.

Head to Gallerie, Max Mueller Bhavan, Kala Ghoda, this evening at 6 pm. Entry is free.

(Picture courtesy livemint.com. Image is a file picture)

Categories
Read

Review: The Year I Met You

Set in Ireland, this Cecilia Ahern novel gently, slowly reels you in with its philosophy on love, life and friendship.
by Ritika Bhandari Parekh

I read this book around Valentine’s Day this year, and it was worth the time I invested in it. Cecilia Ahern’s latest book, The Year I Met You, is quite unlike her previous novels. This one, set in her home country of Ireland, keeps us guessing on the love quotient in the story.

The plot revolves around Jasmine and Matt, who are neighbours, but have no idea that the other exists. Both are workaholics, and their paths intersect due to some pretty interesting circumstances. Soon and steadily, the author introduces us to the world as Jasmine sees it. A high-flying job involving the selling of start-up businesses, an older sister with Down Syndrome, a father who remarries and a ‘gardening leave’ clause in her contract are the reason for her turmoil and happiness.

Matt, on the other hand, is a famous and controversial radio jockey. His drunken rants introduce us to his family. But it is his unlikely relationship with Jasmine that is the cause of more than a seasonal change in his life.

Ahern sketches the character of Jasmine in minute detail by taking us through the constant talk in her mind. With no job (she gets ‘fired’ subtly), Jasmine tries her hand at gardening. Though futile at first, she tries and eventually succeeds with some neighbourly help and guidance from YouTube videos. As the months go by and the new seasons come, Jasmine’s life picks up. While most of us would love to take a break and do some soul searching, Jasmine is handed an opportunity on a platter.

Her insecurities, manic moments, suspicious behaviour, peeking from windows…all of these habits make the reader eager to know more about her story. Her bond with Heather, the older sister, verges on motherly affection and a guilt-ridden sibling love. The writing charms the reader and prompts him to look beneath the exterior and scrape off the superficial to reveal the truth about Jasmine’s philosophy in life.

If the book was a movie, it would have two parts and the second part would be more interesting; this is where the novel actually reels you in. One has to reach that part patiently, where the intrigue sets in and the story flows naturally from that point on. Like a caterpillar, the story progresses and as the seasons change, its metamorphosis into a butterfly is revealed.

With secondary characters to support Jasmine, the book is a lengthy read. But if it is for the love of reading you have picked up the book, Ahern doesn’t disappoint. With sprinkles of love in the story and friendship amongst the most unlikely candidates, The Year I Met You is worth a dekko.

Order the book from here.

(Picture courtesy thebookwormery.wordpress.com)

Categories
Do

Walk along the river Cooum

Join famous photographer Pa Madhavan as he follows the river Cooum and documents the culture and the people alongside it.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This one’s a wonderful experiment in documenting the life of a river, the microcultures around it, the life it gives to those who seek refuge in it, and how well one can follow a meandering path to its successful conclusion.

Noted photographer Pa Madhavan is taking a walk along the river Cooum in Chennai in the last week of July 2015, and is inviting like-minded enthusiasts to take the walk with him. The project is called ‘WAT R’ (Walk Along The River).

Madhavan says, “WAT R is a project about walking along the river Cooum; the river is narrow, with twists and turns, flows slowly through the fields, collecting smaller streams along its path and enters the fourth largest city in India, also a major industrial, business, and cultural center of South India Chennai. It is the shortest classified river draining into the Bay of Bengal and is only about 72 kilometers long.”

He explains that the walk is “an aimless wandering along the banks, encounter talks, and casual recording of content appropriate to sense perception with my Nikon FM3A and a pinhole camera. I walk along the river, stay where I can, eat whatever available and not overindulge in austere practices.” He intends to cover 10km a day to span the entire length of the river in just seven days. “There are no maps to follow or sign posts to see or manuals to refer to; the only cue to follow is the river,” he adds.

There are no rules to joining him on the walk, but he cautions that the route is one of the highly polluted ones. There is high pollution by industrial effluents, drainage and open defecation from the thousands of hutments along its banks.

“On the other hand, with the culture of its own, with its own rationale, structure, and moral, Cooum river bank all along has a port, a fort, a university, palaces, graves of the common men and saints alike, museums, 1,500-year-old temples (mostly Chola temples) and also scientific astronomical observatories, which will definitely be a visual treat as much as a historical record,” he explains.

If you wish to join Pa. Madhavan on the walk, send him an email at madhavan@goa-cap.org.

(Picture courtesy www.thehindu.com. Image is a file picture)

Categories
Eat

5 early morning meal places in Mumbai

Want a good breakfast but tired of your usual neighbourhood haunt? Try these five city-based places for your day’s first meal.
by Ravi Shet

Anybody will tell you that breakfast forms the most important part of one’s daily diet. Skip breakfast and you end up feeling lethargic and tired for the rest of the day.

But where should you go to have your day’s first fulfilling meal? We picked out five places for you to try out.

1. Bele’s Ashok Dugdhalaya, Byculla West

Jalebi Papdi_Bele's Ashok DugdhalayaCraving hot jalebis with fafda, papdi and dhokla? Visit Bele’s Ashok Dugdhalaya, situated near Byculla station. This place has been serving Mumbaikars from the year 1950 and has been serving piping hot jalebis (Rs 20 per plate), papdi (Rs 20 per plate), and dhokla (Rs 20 per plate). They also serve masala milk (Rs 30) which is a definitely worth a try. Their sweet samosa (Rs 12 per piece) has a coconut, mawa and nut stuffing and is really good!

Chaitanya Bele, owner of the establishment, says that they are open for public from 6 am to 10.30 pm on all days and most patrons ask for hot jalebis with papdi or fafda. He also says that earlier people who were working in nearby mills and markets use to frequent the place for their jalebis along with hot milk, however these customers have disappeared after the mills closed down and the market shifted to Vashi.

Must try: Masala milk with jalebis and sweet samosa.

2. City Bakery, Worli

If you are passing by Worli naka in the early morning hours, your nose will immediately pick out the unmistakable aroma of freshly baked food in the area. Jam Danish Pastry_City Bakery WorliEstablished in 1953, City Bakery opens at 5 am and instantly overwhelms the surrounding Worli naka with the aroma of baked goodies. Co-owned by the Dashti brothers – Mehdi Dashti and Jafer Ali Dashti – this bakery is a haven for people looking for good baked food for breakfast – right from kadak pav to croissants to pastries. Mehdi Dashti says, “Our place opens sharp at 5 am on all days irrespective of the weather. Our prices are also not heavy on the pockets, so that we can cater to all people.” Their mint chutney croissants (Rs 23), jam Danish pastry (Rs 23), pizza sandwich (Rs 36) and chocolate éclair (Rs 39) are awesome gastronomical delights!

Must try: Jam Danish pastry and chocolate éclair.

3. Hotel Ram Ashraya, Matunga

Located near Matunga railway station, this place is a hub for people craving South Indian breakfasts. Founded in 1939 by the late Shyam Shetty, this place is open as the clock ticks 5 am, except for Mondays when it is closed. Pudi upma (Rs 38), idli (Rs 32), sabudana wada (Rs 37) and tea (Rs 20) are the stuffs worth trying out here in the early hours of the day. Also try their yummy kesari sheera (Rs 35) loaded with ghee, nuts and raisins. Amarjeeth Shetty and Akshay Shetty, the family’s third generation, are maintaining their legacy today.

Must try: Pudi upma and kesari sheera.

4. Madina Hotel, Mahim

Vegetable Stew_Madina HotelLocated opposite Paradise Cinema, this hotel with yellow benches and tables is worth visiting for its awesome food at unbelievable prices. Running from 1975, this hotel has been serving its customers right from 5.30 a to 11.30 pm. Be it Special Tea (Rs 20), or appam (Rs 8) along with vegetable stew (Rs 25) are super-hits (also on your pocket!) You can also try their chana masala (Rs 25) if you like spicy food. Mr. Krishnan who has been running this place for the past 33 years, says that there used to be a crowd waiting to rush in the moment the place was opened; however, for the past five years, people are coming in good numbers mostly after 7 am. This is a good destination for authentic Kerala style food.

Must try: Appam with vegetable stew and special tea.

5. Neo Welcome, Ghatkopar West

Looking for creamy white chutney and thick delicious sambhar along with soft and hot idli? Head to this place which is opposite Ghatkopar railway station. Founded by the late Muddanna Shetty in 1956, this place has been rolling up its shutters from 6.15 am on all days, except for Tuesdays when it is closed. Sheera upma mix (Rs 50), idli (Rs 45), bread butter (Rs 30) and tea (Rs 20) are their hit items in the early morning hours. Sagar Shetty, co-owner, says that his grandfather never compromised on the quality of food. “Treating customers well and giving them home-like feeling was his mantra and the second and third generation Shettys are also continuing the same tradition,” he says, adding that their food uses their own masalas.

Must try: Idli and sheera upma mix.

(All pictures courtesy Ravi Shet)

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