New act
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We knew him as Dhanush. Now we know him as Mariyan. Rajnikanth’s son-in-law, who became a household name with Kolaveri di, is set to appear in two major films. One, of course, is Raanjhanaa, his Bollywood debut with Sonam Kapoor. The second is Mariyan, a Tamil film directed by Bharatbala, maker of the patriotic videos Jana Gana Mana and Vande Mataram. Mariyan is about Indian workers kidnapped by Sudanese child militia. “Dhanush was only Mariyan when he was on my sets,” says Bharatbala. “I never got to see the real Dhanush,” the director adds. That’s quite a change from Kolaveri di, where he was Dhanush all through. But then, as the song goes, OK maama now tune change-u.
Verse voice
War poetry, some would say, is an oxymoron. But if you know American poet Sam Hamill, you’d probably change your mind. Hamill, who led the “Poets against War” movement in the United States during the war on Iraq, is influencing a movement in our part of the world too. Bengali poet Prabal Kumar Basu, who met Hamill at a New Zealand poetry fest in 2005, has launched one such movement in India. As part of the campaign for peace, Basu is editing an anthology of Indian war poetry in English. Poetry for Peace — co-edited by Dr Aparna Lanjeware, professor of English at the University of Mumbai — is an effective way of registering a protest against war, says Basu. Clearly, some still believe that the pen is mightier than Agent Orange.
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Tidal wave
Music is not all about coming together — often it’s also about drifting apart. Indian Ocean, one of the most popular bands in the country, stresses that it hasn’t split, but one of its founders is following his own tune. Susmit Sen, who gave birth to an idea more than two decades ago that blossomed into a band, has left the group. He has his own ensemble now — called The Susmit Sen Chronicles — and says he is composing “exciting music”. The guitarist with magic fingers is turning a new page. And now for the notes.
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Epic effort
Speaking of peace, it’s raining war. The great epic Mahabharata is being redone to suit the small screen and the world of animation. Television will see the revival of the epic with a series to be screened on Star Plus from July. And meanwhile, Jayantilal Gada is working on an animated feature film on the epic which is being written and directed by Aman Khan. And as in Hollywood, the film is going to rely on Bollywood stars — including Big B — for the voiceovers. Of course, Amitabh Bachchan is not going to lend his voice to any old character. The velvety bass — now busy selling Gujarat to tourists — will voice for Bhishma Pitamah. And that’s from one grand old man to another. Oops, did we say old?
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Worthy words
Once a performer, always a performer. When he was in college, a young man called Kapil set the stage aflame with his deep baritone. Now 65 — and better known as Minister Sibal — he is still emoting, but for a cause, of course. Along with several Bollywood stars, the law minister figures in a new video album called Betiyaan — Save The Girl Child. Sibal recites a poem, and his act is followed by a song featuring, among others, Hema Malini, Ajay Devgn, John Abraham, Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon and Sonakshi Sinha. And that’s not all. Sibal has also written a song on the ongoing IPL scandal called Cricket Nahin Tamasha Hain. Lyricist Sibal’s words — sung by Daler Mehendi — have already gone viral on YouTube. How about a song now on the 2014 election?