by Neelam Mansingh

Saw Animal last night . The film stars Ranbir Kapoor, alongside Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Rashmika Mandanna and Tripti Dimri. It’s a Blood and Gore assault! Daddy is emotionally negligible so son goes berserk . A psychopath who desperately needs help but also seems beyond help . I was wondering when the law and order machinery will enter the cinematic screen . An alternate world where violence and savagery without consequences exists and proliferates . The women are spirited but their agency gets demolished as the Protagonist calls the shots ( pun intended ) the father not loveing his son syndrome becomes demonic , and the father, Anil Kapur, wimps his way looking bewildered , a linear performance without nuance ! . Ranbir , Ranvijaya’s misogyny despite its repulsion manages to make it watchable . The crowd clapping at cringe moments made me wonder at the new narratives in cinema . Did I like the film ? I am not sure if I can use terms liked or disliked . Am ambivalent about its intent and purpose ? Hell no ! The director is not Tarantino! Violence reached its precipice and the Neanderthal Alpha pitch is many decibels too high ! Ranbir triumphs in terms of acting chops and manages empathy, moments that make us feel his angst . Its box office bonanza augers a danger sign for society at large . Pulp fiction is a genre that can be considered exciting but this bloodied and bludgeon me .

By Sunil Sarpal

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar the last word in cricket

India is a cricket crazy country and cricket is considered a religion here. The cricket stars are idolized and worshipped in India. Stadia chant the names of Sachin, Mahi and Virat whenever they appear on the ground. People just go crazy to witness the exploits of their stars. The followers derive some kind of energy to live their lives watching their idols.

Recently, in an interview, Sunil Gavaskar was asked to name three players who impressed him the most in life. Gavaskar named the following players :-

Sir Garfield Sobers

1) According to Gavaskar, first comes Sir Garfield Sobers. A SouthPaw, he could bowl spin and pace in equal measure. He could don the gloves behind the stumps too. Sobers was exceptionally athletic hence a smart fielder. He was a treat to watch with the bat.

2) Gavaskar rated GR Vishwanath as second in ranking. Vishu during his playing days scored centuries on difficult wickets. Gavaskar rates Vishu a much better batsman than him.

Kapil Dev and GR Vishwanath

3) Third in the ranking is Kapil Dev. Gavaskar opines that Kapil was a genuine swing bowler and could win matches of his own single handedly. He was a talented batsman too in attacking mode. He could win matches as a batsman too. Kapil was an extraordinary athlete and his fielding was of a very high class. In his illustrious career, he never missed a match due to injury. He was the India captain in 1983 when India lifted the One- day-cup.

Sunil Manohar Gavaskar has been a street smart cricketer, commentator and expert. His views are unbiased and should not be taken in a lighter vein. His cricketing assessment and class is unparalleled. He is an astute student of the game of cricket and a cricketing school unto himself.

This interview suggests that these three past cricketers need be given more responsibility either to run the cricket academies or impart their valuable knowledge to budding cricketers thru lectures etc.

One can take a cue from the Dennis Lillee run MRF Pace Academy. This academy trains fast bowlers under the watchful eye of Aussie legend Dennis Lillee. MRF has produced a record number of International bowlers.

Recently, Afghanistan has performed exceptionally well in the just concluded ICC Trophy. Afghanistan has been able to do so because India’s ex cricketer Ajay Jadeja is their coach.

The above three players were Gavaskar’s picks. What are yours? Post your picks in the comment box below.

By Sunil Sarpal

Indian PM Narendra Modi and Australian Deputy PM, Richard Marles Congratulate Australian Captain Pat Cummins

It is not digestible that India lost to Aussies in the CWC ’23 finals while winning all 10 matches played  on the trot.  Even in the build up to the final, India  beat Aussie comprehensively.  But India’s performance in the final is not worth taking note of.  Number of blemishes on the part of India are the cause of concern.

A paltry score of 240 runs was not a difficult target for opposition and that too Aussies.  

The Ahmedabad pitch where the ball was not coming on to bat at rapid pace was not an easy pitch to bat on.   The pitch too assisted spinners, as well.  The life was not a cake walk for batters.  In a situation like this, application was the key which Aussie’s Travis Head did to perfection.  It was not easy for Head in the middle but he stood his ground after being beaten invariably.  He posted a resolute century for Aussie cause.  Head turned out to be the difference between India’s victory or defeat.  

Travis Head – Match Winner

Team India definitely is a top class team but in key matches they are in total disarray.  

Shubham Gill’s shot was not on, playing an airy fairy shot at a crucial juncture was the first turning point of the match.  That turned the tide in Australia’s favour.  Gill is the most important cog in indian line up.  Aussies took full advantage with early in-roads and put a break on the run-rate.  

Iyer too was undone by Cummins’s special and India’s ship was dismantled by these two important scalps.  

Rohit, Kohli and Rahul were in good nick but could not extend their innings to centuries.  

Surya looked the most vulnerable of the lot because his game is stylized in T-20 mode.  But this happens to be a situation when wickets were tumbling in regular intervals and Surya’s stay in the middle became absolutely inevitable.  He was always found in two-minds whether to go for his shots or play a restrained knock.  Surya never looks at ease when in defensive mode.  

Three players were primarily responsible for India’s dismal game – GILL, IYER AND SURYA.  

Heads Roll as AUSSIES Celebrate

Among Indian pacers, in particular, Bumrah was unlucky not to have gotten the edges of the bat.  He was swinging the ball enormously but of not much avail.  

Another disappointing factor  was KL Rahul ‘s show behind the stumps.  

There is a saying that the captain should not tinker with the winning ways.  Rohit did this mistake by opting to open the attack with Bumrah and Shami and not with  Bumrah and Siraj.  Shami comes in as a first change.  Pundits will not comment on this change because Shami is the  highest wicket taker in the tournament.  

To conclude, Aussies is a team well equipped to play key matches in style which they did to perfection and lifted the ICC Trophy.

By Sunil Sarpal

How can you describe VIRAT KOHLI?  He considers Sachin Tendulkar as his hero although he has surpassed Sachin’s record of 49 ODI tons.  Virat Kohli stands tall with 50 ODI tons and is supremely fit at the age of 35 yrs.  Virat’s approach to batting is monumental.  He plays his game studded with sublime shots along the ground.  He takes full measure of the proceedings which include pitch behaviour, movement or spin imparted by bowlers before launching for his shots.  He brings in some kind of stability to the proceedings so that from the other end  batters can bloom and maintain a healthy run rate.  In other words,  Virat is the backbone of Indian Cricket whose presence in the middle gives lot of confidence to other batters to express themselves.  

In the on-going ICC tournament,  India has knocked down all the teams so as to pave a berth in the finals.  

In the semis,  India was pitted against New Zealand considered to be one of the favourates to lift the trophy.  

After winning the all-crucial toss,  Rohit chose to bat first on a wicket where there was not much on offer for the bowlers.  

Rohit, as an opener, launched a blistering attack on Kiwi bowlers and set the tone of the match with his trademark shots.  Rohit’s ability to see the ball early enables him to pull and hook the ball disdainly.  Right from the word go, he puts the opposition on backfoot, such is his class to command the proceedings.  His brutal attack up-front leaves the bowlers a demoralized unit.  

All Indian batters are in prime form, be it Gill, Iyer, Rahul or Jadeja.  

The highlights of the match was contributions from two centurians –  KOHLI and IYER,  80 by Gill and 47 by Rohit.  

Iyer’s 6-hitting ability enabled India to put up a mammoth total of 397 runs on  board.  A target such as this is in itself a daunting task for Kiwi batters.  

in this tournament, India’s basket of pace bowlers is over flowing.  In Bumrah, Shami and Siraj,  India cannot expect a better pace attack.  Shami, in particular, makes in-roads when there is a sign of partnership build up.  In this tournament, Shami has bagged 5 and above wicket haul three times.  5 wickets are considered equivalent to a century. In the semifinal he took an astounding 7 wicket haul.

From Kiwi’s side, Mitchel and Williamson put up some kind of resistance to the proceedings and steadied the drowning Kiwi ship.  (Mitchel 139 and Williamson 69).  But this was not enough and Kiwis lost the match by a margin of 70 runs.  

India has entered the finals and shall face Aussies for they beat Protos by three wickets in the second semis to get a berth in the finals.  The ICC Trophy is just a match away from the hot favourates – INDIA.  

By Sunil Sarpal

At one point in time, India’s cup for fast bowling was empty. At that time, the lone fast bowler representing India was Kapil Dev. During that time India introduced a 3-pronged spin quartet of Bedi, Prasanna and Chandrasekhar.

India also produced spin-friendly pitches so that they can thrive on the advantage against opposition.

During the same period, simultaneously Clive Lloyd of West Indies introduced a 4-pronged pace attack to ridicule the world. Those bowlers were all charged and raring-to-go in order to break the opposition into pieces. They were Malcolm Marshal, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Machiel Holding, with the bench strength of Colin Croft.

With the kind of attack India had at its disposal, they could not pose much of problems to opposition, especially West Indies.

But Bishan Singh Bedi’s left-arm spin left the batters mesmerised with subtle variations. He was one cog in the Indian armoury who never diminished.

Bedi is no more. At the age of 77 yrs, recently he passed away. Bedi was an out-spoken character. He single-handedly fought for the cause of players. He also imparted his art of spin bowling to budding cricketers. In fact Bedi was considered leader among three spinners.

After his playing days, Bedi also held the position of Manager for Team India. But his stint as Manager did not prove result oriented.

Now India’s cup of bowling is brimming with quality batsmen, spinners and seamers alike. India no more relies on spin-friendly pitches. Even quality players do not find a place in the side and have to cool their heels on the bench.

On the contrary, West Indies is no longer a team to reckon with. They even could not qualify to play for the ICC World Cup. West indies athletes are not much interested in playing cricket and switched alliance towards basketball which is a comparatively much more lucrative sport.

It is heartening to note that India’s graph in cricket is on the up-swing whereas West Indies is left far behind in the race.

By Sunil Sarpal

It was a much awaited encounter because New Zealand is hailed as a well knit solid one day side. For this encounter, both India and New Zealand came with all wins under their belt.

Let me put it in explicit manner, Pandya is injury prone even though his skills as a batsman and bowler are admirable . He is no-where near Kapil Dev who played through out his career without any injury. Pandya had a long lay- off because of his back problem and now twisted his ankle. Pandya’s body does not permit him to go over board which he often does and gets injured.

Watching Kohli bat, it looks as if he has descended from a different planet to enthrall cricket lovers. He is rock solid and mostly plays his shots along the ground to minimise the risk factor. He is always calm and composed and never unruffled by the seam movement and spin. The one time he erred as he lofted the ball to score his century and bring India victory, he got out at 95. It was left to Jadeja, the versatile player, to hit the winning boundary for India.

Both Bumrah and Siraj bowled a disciplined line and length with the new ball and never went berserk.

It was a nerve-wracking contest. From both sides, bowling, whether spin or pace, was spot on. However, it was a docile wicket and did not give any assistance to bowlers.

From New Zealand side, Ravinderan and Mitchel batted in tandem and New Zealand posted a score of 273 runs on the board.

In the second essay, Rohit Sharma hit 48 runs in his usual manner. India’s ship was steadied by Kohli with 95 runs and Jadeja with 45 runs. Shami in particular bowled with a 5-wicket haul.

It was a see-saw battle and the match could drift towards any side but for unflappable Kohli, India won the match after a scare from New Zealand.

By Sunil Sarpal

India takes on Bangladesh today. The on-going ICC World Cup, so far, has one and only hot favourate team i.e. INDIA.  Others look pale and out of sorts when facing INDIA.  At the moment, India is table toppers with 6 points from three wins.  The teams which  India beat were not minnos of the tournament but mighty stake holders for the trophy.  It was Australia first  then Afghanistan and recently Pakistan.  

India is basking under the glory of their batters’ performance.  All the batters on view seem to leave their impression that they deserve their spots and are indispensable for the side,  be it Rohit, Kohli, Rahul, Gill or Iyer.  They look so confidant that the bowling looks mediocre, leaving the bowlers hapless and vulnerable.    

Against Pakistan, Rohit single-handedly tore apart the attack, raining fours and sixes at will.  He meted out the same treatment to Afghanistan too.  His pull shot of fast bowlers is his swan song.  

Kohli plays his game in his inimical fashion.  His is the prized wicket that opposition looks forward to.  

KL Rahul too making his presence felt with his all-round authoritative stroke play.  

The batting line up is world class and in-form and presents a valid case to lift the trophy.  

In Bumrah and Siraj, India has the luxury of  the most lethal new ball attack, followed by equally versatile Pandya.  

In spin deptt.  both Kuldeep and Jadeja create in-roads during the middle overs.  

India surely is fortunate to have two of the best all rounders in the world –  Jadeja and Pandya.  

Astonishingly, India has the bench strength of Shami, Ashwin and Surya Kr Yadav.  But due to competition, they are not able to showcase  their skills which are world class.  

Since India ticks all the boxes, there is no room for opposition to sneak in.  Opposition is often found scratching their head in disbelief.  

विदाई सूचक: हिमांशु बी. जोशी

नब्बे के दशक की शुरुवात में मैं जब दिल्ली आया था तो उस वक्त राष्ट्रीय नाट्य विद्यालय रंगमंडल के वरिष्ठ अभिनेताओं श्रीवल्लभ व्यास जी और रवि खानविलकर जी की मदद से रंगमंडल के जो नाटक देखने को मिले उनमें काठ की गाड़ी और आधे अधूरे भी शामिल हैं। इन दोनों नाटकों ने मुझे अलग अलग तरह से मुतासिर किया था चाहे वो लेखन हो या निर्देशन या अभिनय और दोनों मेरे ज़ेहन में अब तक बने हुए हैं। फिर जब कीर्ति जैन जी के नाटक सुवर्णलता से एक लाइट डिजाइनर के तौर पर थोड़ा बहुत पहचान बनी तो रानावि में सबसे पहले जिस नाटक का लाइट डिज़ाइन करने के लिए मुझे तत्कालीन निर्देशक राम गोपाल बजाज जी ने बुलाया वो उन्हीं निर्देशक का नाटक था। नाटक का नाम था चेरी का बगीचा (चेरी ऑर्चर्ड) और उन निर्देशक का नाम था – त्रिपुरारी शर्मा। चेखव के चेरी ऑर्चर्ड को उन्होंने छात्रों के साथ बहुमुख स्पेस में बहुत ही कल्पनाशीलता से निर्देशित किया था। फिर दुबारा से एनएसडी टाई के लिए उनके द्वारा लिखे व निर्देशित किए नाटक हैलो टू माइसेल्फ के लिए भी लाइट डिजाइन करने का अवसर मिला। दोनों नाटक जहां निर्देशन के लिए जाने गए वहीं दोनों की लाइट डिजाइन की भी खूब चर्चा हुई। फिर उनके कई और नाटक देखे और रंगकर्मी के तौर उनके काम को समझा।

त्रिपुरारी जी मितभाषी तो थीं ही, अपने काम को मेहनत और लगन से करने के लिए भी जानी जाती थीं। निर्देशन और लेखन में उनका समान दखल था। अल्काज़ी और कारंथ जी के बाद की पीढ़ी के रंगकर्मियों में वो निसंदेह एक सशक्त हस्ताक्षर थीं। वो लगातार अपने काम से अपने छात्रों को प्रेरित करने वाली टीचर थीं। उनका असमय जाना बहुत ही दुखदाई है। देश की स्वास्थ्य व्यवस्था पर भी क्षोभ है कि उन्हें किसी भी तरह बचाया न जा सका। और अंत में यही बचता है नमन, अलविदा!
अलविदा त्रिपुरारी मैम।

A Review by Sanjiva Sahai

Charlie Chopra
& The Mystery Of Solang Valley
(The latest Hindi web series in 6 episodes on Sony Liv)

▫️Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj the show opens with an innovative musical score and hilariously clever lyrics that reveal the protagonist’s (Wamiqa) home address. These elements stand out as commendable highlights in the series. However, while the music and the stunning snow-capped setting deserve praise, the adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic Sittaford Mystery falls short of delivering a believable, relatable, and engaging narrative.

▫️Charlie’s sporadic fourth-wall-breaking moments, where she addresses the camera and talks to the viewers, leave much to be desired. This is a well-known technique in theatre, film, TV, and literature but here it’s executed with a lack of finesse, often descending into gimmickry and absurdity. Wamiqa Gabbi’s reactions serve as mere punctuation to these instances, highlighting their shallowness. It raises the question of whether delving into a detective’s psyche is justified when the true pleasure lies in external observation and deciphering their actions.

▫️While Agatha’s novel sparkled like a well-polished diamond, the adaptation and cast’s performances were more like deflated party balloons. It’s as if they were handed a Rogan Josh recipe but decided to cook instant noodles instead. The characters needed emotional depth, but the actors served up emotional flatlines. Wamiqa Gabbi, a radiant presence, struggles to carry the show solo, hampered by a lack of versatility, rendering her lengthy role predictably dull. Naseeruddin Shah, oddly out of place, delivers a superficial performance. Neena Gupta, however, shines as the sole beacon of spontaneity and precision. Gulshan Grover repeats himself. The ensemble cast- including the entire Shah family (Ratna Pathak – Heeba – Vivaan – Imaad), Lara Dutta, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Paoli Dam, and Ashique Hussain, adds their bit to the mix.

▫️It leaves viewers hoping that future adaptations by Vishal will capture the essence of Christie’s work more effectively.

**
2/5

_ Sanjiva Sahai

By Sunil Sarpal

It was a bizarre match –  the Asia Cup Final held at Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 17th September, 2023.  The super-duper star of the match was none other than our own pacer Mohd.  Siraj.  He single-handedly demolished Sri Lanka with a haul of 6 wickets.  He set the tone of the match, scalping 4 Sri Lankan wickets in a single over.  His incisive spell brought about the downfall of Sri Lankan innings and wickets started tumbling like nine pins.  There was some juice on offer in the wicket and the need of the hour for the Sri Lankan batsmen to apply themselves, which they did not.  

The first salvo was engineered by Ravinder Jadeja when he, driving to his right, produced a stunning  diving  catch inches from the ground, at point.  

Mohd. Siraj was so charged up that he scalped four wickets in a single over, leaving Sri Lanka   completely shattered.  From the other end,  Bumrah too bowled beautifully and created pressure on batters in equal measure.  

Sri Lanka could post only 50 runs on the board and folded their innings.  

In the post match analysis, Indian veteran, Gautam Gambhir rightly pointed out that when the ball starts swinging viciously, it is imperative on the part of batsman to give due respect to bowlers and play defensively.  But the batsmen were not found to be disciplined and went for their shots.  

The contest between bat and ball never took off and it turned out to be a one sided affair, which, unbelievably, India won by 10 wickets.  From Indian side, both Gill and Ishan Kishan were equal to the task and won the match for India. In a lighter vein, this match qualifies to be in Ripley’s Believe it or Not

Mohd. Siraj was rightly declared Man of the Match because of his unimaginable heroics.