NEW DELHI: Well-known Bollywood singer, Madhushree, who started her career with Kabhi Neem Neem (Yuva; 2004), Kangnaa Re (Paheli; 2005) and Tu Bin Bataaye (Rang De Bansanti; 2006) is back to mainstream Hindi film music with ‘Tu Yahin Hai’ from ‘Meenakshi Sundareshwar.’

She spoke to the Daily Guardian.

Q. Be it acting or singing, Indian cinema values only that act which lasts for a long time. You sang your first song in the year 2001. What are the qualities needed to survive for so long?

A. Getting into the industry is very difficult, surviving in it much more difficult. Because not only do you still have to fight for new assignments, you have to deal with other matters, including staying relevant in the industry and not falling prey to leg pullers.

Q. The OTT platform has not only changed the perception of the entertainment world but has also given a tremendous challenge to the cinema culture. Opportunities have opened up for artists, how does an artist view this change?

A. As far as acting is concerned, there are enormous opportunities, but at the same the cinema has changed tremendously, where music is no more the integral part of it as it was before. There is hardly any lip singing now. And this means that the singer has to create his or her own identity.

Q. A debate has been going on regarding the standard of songs that is being churned out today. Do you really think that the standard of songs in Bollywood has fallen?

A. I still believe that composers and writers can do wonders. It’s a fact that today’s changing cinemas have very less or no scope for music. So the makers do not spend time and money to focus on good music. Previously music was created first and then film concepts were built on them.

Q. Do singers become outdated over time? You have been talking about nepotism. Does nepotism help in getting work?

A. Yes, singers can get outdated in this changing cinema. But if a singer keeps updating themselves, then such singers can do wonders, especially with their experiences. I never stopped working on my skills, which has helped me. Yes, there is and will always be nepotism, but in the long run, only talent will survive.

Q. You have worked a lot with AR Rahman in your career. What was the experience like and what is his most special thing about working with him?

A. A.R.Rahman has given me what I’m today—a known name—Madhushree. I’m thankful to him for this. He always makes artists feel very comfortable and that brings out the best from the artist.

Q. Sanya Malhotra is an emerging artist of Hindi cinema. You have sung for her in ‘Meenakshi Sundareshwar’? What kind of energy do you see in her?

A. Sanya is a very special actor in looks, acting and above all very natural. That makes her unique and not a cliche. I’m so happy that ‘Tu Yahin Hai’ has been pictured on her. 

MUMBAI: The team of Kartik Aaryan and Kriti Sanon-starrer ‘Shehzada’ completed the first schedule of the film in Mumbai in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The actors will now head to Delhi for the new schedule. Announcing the wrap-up, Kartik took to Instagram and shared a selfie with director Rohit Dhawan from the sets. “And that’s a happy director #BecauseOfMe..Schedule wrap #Shehzada,” he captioned the post.

Speaking about the film’s first schedule, producer Aman Gill said, “We have mounted and shot the interiors of the mansion portions of the film wonderfully and are excited about Shehzada’s larger-than-life scale. We eagerly waiting to kick off the outdoor schedule of the film in Delhi.”

Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Allu Arvind, S. Radha Krishna and Aman Gill, ‘Shehzada’, which is touted as an action-packed family musical film, will hit theatres on 4 November 2022.

MUMBAI: Be it essaying the girl-next-door, or playing the role of a powerful officer – Diana Penty has given the audience some very memorable characters over the years. As she turned a year older on November 2, we cannot help but reminiscence her journey as an artist.

Even today, 9 years later, she is still remembered as Meera from Cocktail and continues to strike the same chord.

While Diana Penty essayed a beautiful character arch in Cocktail, she dove into comedy with ‘Happy Bhaag Jayegi’. The actor seamlessly transitioned from a rather serious role to playing with comic timing.

Taking another defining character and venturing into a different universe, the actress headlined ‘Lucknow Central’ as a diligent NGO worker, Gayatri Kashyap. Another character that stayed with the audience was Captain Ambalika Bandopadhyay from ‘Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran.’ And with her last outing ‘Shiddat’, Diana Penty made a strong case for her acting prowess yet again.

As she is all set to venture into two diverse worlds of cinema with ‘Salute’ and ‘Adbhut’, we can not wait to see the actress on screen again. While ‘Salute’ will feature Diana Penty in her first Malayalam film, ‘Adbhut’ will mark her first supernatural thriller.

MUMBAI: Ahead of the release of ‘Sooryavanshi’, the makers, on Wednesday, unveiled the Punjabi song ‘Na Jaa’ from the film.

‘Na Jaa’ is the recreated version of singer Pav Dharia’s song of the same name. The new track features none other than Sooryavanshi’s lead actors Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. Sharing the link of the song’s video, Akshay took to Instagram and wrote, “Time to put on your dancing shoes as the biggest party anthem of the year is here. #NaJaa Song out now.”

The music video is undoubtedly a feast for the eyes as Akshay and Katrina ooze energy and oomph with their uber-cool dance steps in the track.

Even fans couldn’t resist praising Akshay and Katrina’s dancing skills. “You both are slaying,” a fan commented. “Loved it. You guys have set the dance floor on fire,” another one wrote. The new version of ‘Na Jaa’ is sung by Pav Dharia and Nikhita Gandhi.

OATS SOOJI HALWA

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tbsp Quaker Oats

• 4 tbsp Sooji

• Ghee, as per taste

• Jaggery (Optional), as per taste

• ¼ tsp Cardamom Powder

• 2-3 tbsp Chopped Nuts

METHOD:

1. Add water, Quaker Oats, jaggery in a pan. Boil till jaggery melts. Add cardamom powder. Keep aside.

2. Heat ghee in a wok. Add sooji and sauté well.

3. Roast the sooji till fragrant and brown then add 1 cup water with jaggery and oats. Mix well.

4. Sauté for 1-2 mins till no lumps and it starts leaving the sides.

5. Add chopped nuts and switch off the gas.

6. Serve hot.

CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tbsp dried Cranberries

• 1/2 cup Flax Seeds

• 1 cup Sunflower Seeds

• 3 tsp Cocoa Powder

• 1/2 cup Honey

• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, for coating

• 1/2 cup white chocolate melted, for drizzle

METHOD:

1. In a food processor, add the flax and sunflower seeds and process until you get a fine powder.

2. Add the cocoa powder and process for a few seconds.

3. Add the cranberries and honey and pulse until well combined. Take it out in a bowl and place it in the fridge for an hour to make it easier to roll better.

4. Take it out of the fridge and roll out 3 cm diameter balls. For half the batch, coat them with desiccated coconut. For the remaining half, drizzle melted white chocolate over them with a spoon or piping bag. Store in the fridge for several days or in the freezer for months.

HOLY MOLY SABUDANA PUDDING

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Cup Small Tapioca Pearls (Sabudana)

• 2.5 Cups Coconut Milk

• 3/4 Cup Jaggery

• 1/2 Cup Del Monte Pumpkin Seeds

• 3/4 Cup Coconut Sugar

• 1/4 Cup Water

• Rose Petals, to garnish

METHOD:

1. Soak tapioca pearls in 1 cup coconut milk for an hour to soften and bloom.

2. Take the soaked tapioca pearls, remaining coconut milk and jaggery in a saucepan, and put over medium heat. Then reduce the heat and let it cook for 15 more minutes until the pearls are cooked and it has all thickened. Keep stirring occasionally to prevent the tapioca from sticking to the bottom. If you wish to have it much thinner, add another cup of coconut milk. Pour into bowls or ramekins to the top and let cool in the refrigerator.

3. Toast the pumpkin seeds on a pan for 3-4 minutes and place it on a silicon mat.

4. Put some water and coconut sugar in a saucepan and place it on medium heat, and stir slowly with a metal fork, until it gets melted and golden. Cook caramel without stirring, until it turns deep golden. Immediately spread it all over the pumpkin seeds placed on the silicon mat so it hardens. Let it cool down and set at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Then break shards of the praline and add that to the tapioca pudding. Garnish with rose petals.

CRANBERRY COCONUT LADOO

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup Del Monte Dried Cranberries

• 2 tablespoons, Almonds, roughly chopped

• 2 tablespoons, Pistachios, roughly chopped

• 3 ¼ cups, Dried Coconut, shredded or coconut powder,

• ¾ cup, Full Fat Milk

• 1/3 cup, Khoya/Mawa

• ½ to ¾ cup Sugar (or as per your requirement)

• 2 tablespoons Ghee

• 1 teaspoon Cardamom Powder

• Desiccated Coconut Powder to roll Laddoos, as needed

METHOD:

1. In a heavy bottom pan or kadhai, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee.

2. Add cranberries, almonds and pistachios and fry lightly until nuts turn just golden.

3. Take it off the heat and transfer it onto a plate. In the same pan, add coconut, milk and mix. Cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Add sugar, khoya and mix.

5. Cook until everything is mixed well and the mixture is dry and aromatic (around 4-5 minutes).

6. Do not burn. Add cranberries, roasted nuts and cardamom powder and mix.

7. Cook for another half a minute. Take the laddoo mixture off the heat and cool until just warm and not too hot.

8. Take a small amount of mixture onto your palm and start making the laddoos depending upon the size you prefer to make.

9. Repeat the same for all the mixture. Once done, roll each laddoo into coconut powder and keep.

10. Refrigerate it for an hour and serve. These laddoos are best stored for 4-5 days under refrigeration.

As a child, I remember participating in my family’s annual Diwali customs with much gusto. The festivities always began with my grandfather presiding over an elaborate Lakshmi Puja for which, the puja ka samaan would be brought out of the tosha khaana, a storage room for family heirlooms. An old frame of a lotus-seated Goddess Lakshmi would be placed upon a puja altar and surrounded with a volume of ancestral coinage. Seated on his chair due to ageing joints, my grandfather would carefully wash and pat dry each coin before anointing it with kumkum and a few grains of rice. In the meantime, the ladies of our household readied the puja thali and brought forward the two prasad offerings. Smooth, pebble-white batashas sharply contrasted against amber-coloured shards of cane juice, known in our part of the world as chipdra. My cousins and I would buzz around the puja room like mischievous charlatans, awaiting the prasad offerings that we could only lay our hands-on after the aarti was done. Still, when we found our grandfather too engrossed in the coinage, we’d quietly jostle for a handful of those sweets and hide them in closed fists. Our palms often went moist as the batashas and chipdras dissolved in their warmth, and our lenient grandmother would smile at the sight of our sticky hands as they lay outstretched after the aarti for the supposed first helping. 

Thereafter, we’d race to the baaradari or fort terrace and wait for our elders to arrive less hurriedly and light the first diyas. Many senior members of the hotel’s staff body stood waiting, in turn, to seek their blessings on this auspicious day, and to light the remaining diyas with us. The fort’s parapets would gradually be studded with tiny wicks of light that spelt nothing short of a fairy tale from near as well as afar. To watch this silhouette being orchestrated year after year as the rest of the village launched firecrackers into the darkening lilac skies is one sight that has endured the tests of time. Back in the days when the world interpreted environmental concerns with lesser urgency, we kids would unbox phuljaris, anaars, chakris, rockets, and a snake cracker that made an amusing expansion in length when lit. After we’d run out of our sanctioned supplies of firecrackers and exhausted all negotiations for more, we’d join the rest of our family for dinner that ritually ended with a steaming bowl of gajar ka halwa.

As much as this day spelt revelry for us, it must have been the most dreaded one for our four-legged canine family members, who lay hidden anxiously away from the deafening noise, under beds and sofas. Relieved after the long night had ended, they’d lie huddled sunning themselves as the rest of us got dressed for the Rama Shaama, a festive congregation that we presided between a men’s and women’s wing. Seated in the zenana wing, my grandmother and mother offered amal and the contrasting sweets’ thali to swarms of visitors heralding from the village. Accompanied by their children, siblings and in-laws, they were mostly women. Their male counterparts made way for the men’s wing, wherein similar customs prevailed. Growing up, I envied that wing for being placed in closer proximity to the musicians and just more lively in general. Perhaps, coyness spared the virtues of men more often. 

But irrespective of their outward demeanour, each and every person who attended the Rama Shaama was bound to the other by a mutual act of goodwill and hope. This stems from an age-old cultural sensibility as per which, any two persons or parties that happened to have suffered a fallout could mend their relationship at Rama Shaama. In other words, the sheer act of attending the event spelt a willingness of letting bygones be bygones and this intentionality, for me, was the most triumphant aspect of a festival. Especially so, as even though we avow new beginnings and resolutions through most festivals, we mar their collective ethos by the private secrecy of our commitments. Much of our intentionality ends up getting stagnated in our own little imagination and lacks a communicative outlet. 

Unlike these instances of personal conviction, Rama Shaama spells praxis in a community. Retrospecting as an adult, I’d say that it serves as that one cultural link that supersedes our mere intent for new beginnings and translates them into tangible actions. In a growingly egotistical world, participating in a mutual exchange of forgiveness, of simultaneously seeking it and granting it, for me, spells festivity in its truest form. I can now make better sense of the eventual culmination of our numerous Diwali customs into the affair of Rama Shaama, for its magnanimity of intent and action. Fuelled by digital technology and expedited by the recent pandemic, our social isolation has heightened a collective sense of alienation and estrangement. In such circumstances, occasions like Rama Shaama find a steepened sense of relevance for their potential to connect and negotiate bonds. 

Khimsar is gearing up for a post-pandemic celebration of Diwali yet again. In the meantime, I am situated in my Himalayan haven where I must attend to my hotel business. I sure miss the festive air back in my ancestral home and am reminded by this writing exercise to rekindle a community of care right here, wherein the festival of lights might translate into a festival of togetherness, forgiveness and hope, sooner or later.

I can now make better sense of the eventual culmination of our numerous Diwali customs into the affair of Rama Shaama, for its magnanimity of intent and action. Fuelled by digital technology and expedited by the recent pandemic, our social isolation has heightened a collective sense of alienation and estrangement. In such circumstances, occasions like Rama Shaama find a steepened sense of relevance for their potential to connect and negotiate bonds.