http://www.ravishly.com/ladies-we-love/bhawana-somaaya-film-expert-star-critic
By Manju Latha Kalanidhi @mkalanidhi

Contributed by Manju Latha Kalanidhi | 10.23.14 2:29am

@mkalanidhi

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Bhawana Somaaya: Film Expert, Star Critic

If you love Hindi cinema, fondly known as Bollywood, and have followed the evolution of the industry even just a bit, there is one person who's impossible to miss—Bhawana Somaaya. She is a professional movie buff—a hardcore musical lover, star interviewer, celebrity biographer, and prolific film critic.

Having studied psychology and journalism in Mumbai, she began her career as a film reporter in the 1970s and has been writing about cinema in numerous outlets since—so far she's churned out a whopping 12bestselling books.

And she doesn't just write, either. She's also a film expert with Radio Channel 92.7 Big FM, making her one of the few senior journalists who is visible across all media—from print to radio to web. In fact, few film award functions take place without Somaaya’s expert guidance, few movie directors forget to call her up on a movie's release day, and few movie lovers go a day without reading her incisive interviews or columns.

We heard from the famed critic herself, who let us in on the film journalism industry, Bollywood, and her thoughts on celebrities.

You have 35,000 followers on Twitter, and yet I've read that you love completely shutting down your electronic devices to relax. How do you manage this dichotomy of staying connected to technology without becoming addicted to it?

I work on the computer in the first half of the day, after which I refrain from it unless it is an emergency. I’m against addiction of any kind. I firmly believe that those who follow me on Twitter are here for quality content that's credible. You cannot win people with mischief or manipulation.

What do you think makes you one of the most followed film journalists in India?

I just do my job; I write my columns and books as sincerely as I can. People say they like my writing and identify with my thought process. I hope I can continue to live up to their expectations. What works for me is credibility and consistency, I think.

You have watched the Bollywood industry through the years, starting in 1979 as a reporter. How has the industry evolved since you started?

A lot has changed and a lot remains the same; the 1970s were days of multi-starrer films, the 1980s was a rough time for the industry, while the 1990s paved the way for young filmmakers like Aditya Chopra. And 2000 of course changed cinema after Dil Chahta Hai. From single screens to multiplexes, from Dolby cinema to Sync sound, from makeup rooms to vanity vans, technology has advanced but the content, emotions and people are the same—well, almost.

You've written books and authorized biographies on the biggest stars of the Hindi film industry, constantly rubbing shoulders with the all the main actors and actresses on the scene. What are three important lessons you've learned about the industry?

That times change, circumstances change, status changes but you have to be sincere to your job. There are also no shortcuts to lasting success. Finally, that there are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in showbiz!

What kind of effort goes into, say, writing the biography of Amitabh Bachchan, one of Bollywood's legendary actors?

Writing a book is more about discipline than craft. It is about time management with a regular job and regular life. Writing about celebrities is a little more difficult because you are dealing with vulnerable, artistic, sensitive people. That they are all the time in the limelight makes it more difficult. I would like to believe that top Hindi movie stars such as Hema Malini or an Amitabh Bachchan agreed to my penning their memoirs because they have faith that I will not abuse their trust. My intention is to explore rather than sensationalize.

Tell us about an average day in your life.

I like to wake up early and go for a walk but I never manage to rise before 7:30. I make my own tea and putter around the apartment, opening the windows for fresh air. At 8:20, I walk to the 92.7 Big FM studio for my daily morning link on the breakfast show. I return at 9 and relish another cup of tea with my pile of newspapers. At 9:30 I eat breakfast, after which I disappear to my study for a quick check on emails and social media updates. Then I focus on my daily column and a chapter of a new book. I take a lunch break at 3 after which I check my messages, shower and return to the Big FM studio where I work as an entertainment editor. In the evening I usually have a meeting, screening, or event, depending on the day. I generally avoid parties and eating out, instead watching a bit of TV or reading before bed. I lead a very productive, constructive day; Wednesdays and Thursdays are for new screenings, Fridays for reviews and recordings, Saturdays for friends and Sundays strictly for family.   

How do you find nirvana with so many responsibilities? How often do you go on holiday and how do you unwind?

Spirituality is in the mind, it is a way of life. I pray every morning that I must think, act and speak positively about others and myself. I fly to see my sister every alternate month and stay with her for three days. Just being home and listening to her humming domesticity, talking about our deceased parents unwinds me. I very seldom take holidays because the life of a critic revolves around new releases. But when I sense some weeks are uneventful I do take off with friends—and always without a laptop. I travel a lot for work both in India and abroad and that always refreshes me.

Many aspiring journalists imagine being a film journalist is the most fun media job. Do you have any advice for them?

It is a lot of hard work. Film journalism is perhaps the most difficult of all journalism because you are dealing with eccentric people. Today, though, it is easier because journos don’t have to make any inroads with people for a story—everything is organized at the appropriate time by the PR machinery, so it's not surprising that many film stories have lost their sting and the bite. All stories now sound the same, just in the way all actors look the same in designer costumes—like assembly line products.

Having seen stars in their more real moments, what's your take on celebrities? Do you think they're overly hyped?

I think we need to look at them as human beings, they are as real or fake as us, and they have their moments of strength and weaknesses just as we do. They are very likeable, actually, and good judges of people. You can never fool actors because they are traders of emotions and expressions.

In India, fans often become obsessed with the lives of their favorite actors and actresses. Do you think the media should report on the personal lives of stars?

I have never done it. I have never written an article that I have not believed in, never asked questions that I was not convinced of. Today, unfortunately, journalists are hired on the qualification that they can break stories. Journalism is less about writing and more about accessibility. But I would never abuse my contacts for the sake of a story. The day editors and reporters start writing about what interests them—rather than what they perceive their readers' interests to be—we will have more productive journalism.

When you are friends with stars, what happens when you need to ask them tough questions?

I believe that you can ask anybody anything. It just depends on how you ask it and what your intention is. Are you just asking a question because your editor has asked you to, but are frightened that you will get a defensive answer? The star respects you when you are on side of the truth, and if there is a controversy that is waiting to be addressed you have to raise questions irrespective of your relationship. It is called work ethics and there cannot be any compromises on that.

You can follow Somaaya's work on Twitter @bhawanasomaaya or on herwebsite.

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Published in The Hans India March 16, 2014

In a marked departure from the working women of the 90s who struggled to manage home, little children and family, many women are now taking a well-timed break to tend to families and young children. Using that three or seven year period to upgrade their skills, they are jumping back onto the career wagon soon after their little ones grow up to a manageable age. Best of personal and professional worlds, they say, writes MANJU LATHA KALANIDHI

Pick any two Your sanity. Happy kids. Clean home. This muchshared Facebook post seems to be getting many women think thrice before they take up the familiar route of degree, work, marriage, kids, work, quit, work, quit etc. They do not want to end up as harried working women trying hard to balance young kids and a demanding career with the feeling that neither are they doing justice to their work nor their family. So what's new, you ask.
Well, in a case of `once bitten twice shy' syndrome, most women are now embracing a conscious break ranging between three years and seven to ensure they are done with rearing their children to an age where they are semi-independent and they can get back to careers with gusto.

Bollywood actress and `Gulab Gang' leader Madhuri Dixit-Nene is among those who got her life's timeline bang on. After nearly a decade-and-half long career, she settled down for matrimony, enjoyed her homemaker status for eight years with her sons Arin and Ryan in the US. She admits to having stress free days without a full-time job while a lot of her Indian neighbours in Denver , US, were struggling to take care of both work and children. The actress has now returned to India to pursue a full-time career in the film industry as her sons are merrily busy with their activities. That she spent her time learning horse riding, ballet dancing and Taekwondo during that period has helped her immensely in her new avatar of an action heroine.

Closer home, Sandhya Janak, 50, a familiar face in Tollywood with movies like `Happy Days,' `Maryada Ramanna', `Baadshah' and now `Rudhramadevi' was, a decade ago, busy tending to her banker husband two sons Abhinav and Anirudh. Now with two grown up sons, she has the time to pursue a career in movies. “I was sure that I wanted to be with my kids when they were growing up.
This is the most crucial phase which will never come back, no matter what you do later on in life. Then there's no point regretting later for not having spent enough time with them (the kids) when they needed you the most! I'm of the opinion, that a woman is truly liberated only after her kids reach a certain stage of maturity and gain independence, so she needn't have to suffer from a guilty conscience!“ Vasanthi Hariprakash, TV and radio anchor besides being a renowned Emcee in Bengaluru, went back to work after a four-year break. After having worked at The Indian Express followed by a stint at a property portal for over eight years, Vasanthi decided to take a break to spend time with her four-year-old son Anirudh.
Four years later, when she was offered the job of a radio jockey's job in Radio City, she just couldn't refuse it. “It was a job where I could reach lakhs of people and was close to my passion of being in the field of communication. My son was around seven years then and it did not seem unreasonable to get back to an exciting and demanding job.“ Later, she shifted to NDTV 24x7 for a few years and now she is busy with a multitude of events to host and shoot. “At that time, I felt that I had a good run professionally and things were getting too busy with work, home and a child in his formative years. It helped me enjoy bonding with him and also take a breather to understand what I wanted to do next. I also did not have to deal with the mommy guilt of leaving a young child in the care of others. It was a feel-good period which helped me bounce back with renewed vigour,“ she says in between an event where she hosted Anna Hazare and an awards ceremony on Saturday. Swapna, Telugu TV's most famous news presenter, recalls how from a homemaker in Seattle, US, with two kids (who are now teenagers) and her classical music to keep herself engaged, she suddenly found herself thrust into a demanding career of a live TV show host for TV9 in Hyderabad. “Certain professions like media, hospitality, high-end corporate jobs and glamour can be demanding, with erratic working hours. So being able to give one's 100 per cent will ensure a great take off in your career, even if you start late or had a break. While there is no time a parent ceases to be a parent, it is better to be able to be in a position where one can focus on work without having to worry about things at home, especially children.“ She may have been a late bloomer on the career front, but her personal and professional timelines ensured that she took off in a big way.

Satvika Biswas, a consultant with Get Going Career Consultancy in Hyderabad, says that it is professional suicide to get back to work too early if one is not sure of giving his or her full commitment to career. “I have seen many women who get back to work much too early with young kids without a support system and they end up facing problems on the work front only to quit or be thrown out unceremoniously . Yes, not having a nanny or a reliable day care centre or parental support system can severely affect her personal and professional front. Frequent absenteeism citing childcare reasons, unable to take up challenging professional assignments are not good signs for one's career. So if one can afford to stay at home, it is best to get back to work when one is fully ready,“ she advices.

But then HR experts in India say that women suffer a compensation hit of 37 per cent following a career break of three years or rlonger. Isn't that a big f blow to them?
“It takes a lot tof effort to r keep both , going. So if you think you are blessed with great discipline and back-up system, by all means con by all means continue. Otherwise, time your come back wisely,“ she advises. Recognising this new need of women to get back after a break, Tata Group runs a Second Career Intern ship Programme for women (SCIP), a career transition management programme for women professionals who have taken a break of six months or more for any reason, and wish to re-enter the professional space. The programme provides opportunities for such women to take on flexi-hour assignments with various TATA group companies.

Under this programme, Tata Group companies provide live business projects requiring approximately 500 hours of engagement spread over six months on a flexi time basis.

Tata SCIP does not provide full-time job opportunities.
Assignments under SCIP are short-term and aimed at developing alternative talent pools in traditional/non-traditional formats although there is no placement guarantee at the end of the project. All SCIP consultants go through a short induction programme, are provided access to mentors and guides on the project and HR support. For details check http://www.tatasecondcareer.com/ Currently, the Second Career Initiative is for women professionals in marketing, legal, corporate, HR, communications etc who have worked for a minimum of two continuous years in any of the domain areas listed below, prior to taking a career break of six months or more.

Fleximoms, a website for those who want to take time before jumping into a full-time career and prefer to test the waters first, promotes workflex work formats that allow an individual to marry their personal and professional objectives. Whether one is a working woman in a metro city, a housewife in a suburb Fleximoms may have career advice for them.

How do you think I married Twinkle?

-- Manju Latha Kalanidhi

Khiladi Kumar Akshay and 100 crore heroine Asin were in Hyderabad on Tuesday for the promotion of their new movie ‘Khiladi 786’

His ‘Khiladi’ tag – ‘Main Anari Tu Khiladi’ in 1992 was my first big hit and media gave me the tag of ‘Khiladi Kumar’. Of course, then Asin must have been in ‘Class I’. Now she has grown up to be my co-star. Luckily, Khiladi means a player and that is what I am – a sportive player. Most of my other movies also, by coincidence, had Khiladi in the title – ‘Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi’, ‘Khiladi 420’ and now the latest as well. I enjoy being known by that tag. 

About the 100 crore club : Yes, all of us are under the pressure to hit the magic figure. Even making Rs 99 crore doesn’t seem to work. Nahi chalega says the media. I have the pressure of the film on me until Monday. After that I move on and go about signing my next movie.

About being a prankster on and offscreen: I love pulling other’s legs, especially if it is a leggy lass like Asin. One day after the shoot of ‘Khiladi 786’, we went to a restaurant for dinner. I sneaked in a lot of stuff like butter, sugar packets, a handful of knives and forks into Asin’s bag. Then I even told the waiter to che ckher bag as I suspected she was pilfering stuff. One must have seen Asin’s face. It was hilarious. She kept on saying she hasn’t picked up any of it. 

About working with south directors: I’ve worked in 120 movies till now and nearly half are with south directors. It is nice to work with them because they wrap films fast, know their job well and of course have given me hits. I get to learn a lot from them. 
About watching Telugu movies: I watch them whenever I have to work in a remake!

About working in multiple movies in a year: It is very easy to work in at least four films a year. Typically, a movie does not take more than 60 days. So even if I give myself a 30-day break, it is possible for an actor to work on at least three movies a year. So no big deal if I work in many movies a year.

About his lean, mean look: I have been maintaining my weight for the last 28 years. That is the reason, as most of the media persons here said, I look young and fit. 

About his first love cooking: Yes, I love cooking. I was a chef in Thailand and cooked samosa, chole bature, jalebi etc. How do you think Twinkle married me? I cooked for her and she fell head over heels with me. 

Asin on why she is not doing Telugu movies
Her role in the movie: I play Indu Tendulkar, a Mahrastrian girl who is a rough and tough girl. She can pack in a punch and I am the sister of Mithunda in the movie. 

About returning to Tollywood: I am evolving with each movie and it is important to do different and unique roles every time. What is the point in doing same kind of roles and boring the public and finally being called a flop star? I am looking forward to a dhamaka movie in Telugu. I hope someone casts me soon. I will never forget that ‘Amma Nanna Tamil Ammayi’ was the movie that gave me a break in movies.

It’s KICK, not KISS

The Hans India November 2012

TV shows no longer believe in KISS – Keep It Simple and Sweet. Instead it is KICK – Keep It Complicated and Knotty.

Serial makers conveniently have started creating rifts between happy 
couples, split the children apart, introduced the ‘other man’ or ‘other woman’ and filled in the crevices with lots of spice and masala.

Manju Latha Kalanidhi

Simple and basic are no longer in vogue. Even on telly, the in-thing is to have it complex and advanced. Not surprisingly, a happily married couple with one or two children going about their lives, celebrating festivals, weekend outings, annual vacations is considered boring. 

So serial makers conveniently have started creating rifts between happy couples, split the children apart, introduced the ‘other man’ or ‘other woman’ and filled in the crevices with lots of spice and masala. So the topper serials like Bade Achche Lagte Hain (Sony 10.30 pm) and Kuch Toh Log Kahenge (Sony 11 am) have all complicated matters for that extra edge. Even before Priya and her husband Ram cosy up for their big family festival, we see them parting ways, little Pihu being torn between parents. 

Ditto with Kya Hua Terra Wada (Sony 10 pm) with super family dynamics – couple split, husband has his own family; wife has her own family; kids move around with new papa and new momma. The other man and woman crossing paths, ex-flames and what nots. Perhaps it is time to have a simple, sweet family drama like Wagle Ki Duniya. Remember that one about a middleclass man, his wife and his two kids. The episodes were a mere reflection of our everyday lives. 

Hunt for Kingfisher Model on NDTV Good Times (11 pm) takes the complexities to another plane altogether. We have no idea why models are made to run a mile, walk on a Burma bridge, snake through a cylinder, sneak through a narrow passageway. In short, the girls run through a muddy obstacle course, swing on ropes and climb ropes to ultimately pose for the photographer’s camera. 

Well, if the idea is to see how fit they are or how sportive they are, it would have made sense. After the race, the contestants are expected to sleep supine, bovine, prone or whatever position possible on a trawler net and actually pose seductively for a photo shoot. The fashion photographer even has the gall to tell the model, who is precariously balancing herself on the net to pout and ‘bring on the feel.’ 

Then it gets tougher. In the second task of the week, the girls take on the guise of a mermaid maiden and pose under a waterfall in a manmade fin. We knew of beauty contests where they are pitted against each other for their physical beauty, vital statistics, their IQ, special talent, culinary skills etc. This time around, their ‘boot camp’ survival instincts are tested. Talk of complicating matters!

As exciting and jeeta jaagta like Big Boss reality show

For some reason being able to blog seems to be my ultimate measure for success. It means you have the time, opportunity, opinion and the writing ability too. However, it always bothers me - what if my blog becomes so popular that my life starts becoming like a jeeta jaagta Big Boss reality show. What if random strangers are peeking into my life and making random judgements about me. Do u think anyone wud be interested in reading abt my life. Two days from now is supposed to be the Doomsday. So I may as well delurk for a day and put my work up on to the world. Wud even one soul bother to put up a post? Do people read my posts at all? Maybe they'll think I am jobless - Hey but then I only put the things I already got published.. so i am not so vela i guess. I can't believe that I am just randomly typing things away without as much as giving it a second look.. Will my blog become like one of those unputdownable, page-turner blogs like the kind of words associated with bestsellers these days.. Let me see how many hits I get.. How  many ppl comment and how many actually have read it. That alone will decide whether this blog needs resurrection... HERE WE GO FOLKS>>>>>

Ten years, ten flops and one ton of toil

“TELLING US THINGS WE DON’T NEED TO KNOW IS WHAT AILS THE INDIAN MOVIE”,
SAYS HOLLYWOOD SCRIPT WRITING COACH ROBERT MCKEE

http://www.thehansindia.info/Updates/pdf/2012/Feb/12//HYD/19.pdf

Edida: The Master of Classics

Published in The Hans India on March 25, 2012

“Not winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award does not make a difference to me as I have always got more than I had bargained for. My productions have become the biggest grossers of Telugu industry, have won critic’s appreciation and remain etched in people’s hearts. What more can I ask for?” Edida Nageshwara Rao, the man behind masterpieces like ‘Sankarabharanam’ and ‘Sagara Sangamam’ tells Manju Latha Kalanidhi

Edida: The Master of Classics


“Not winning the Dadasaheb Phalke Award does not make a difference to me as I have always got more than I had bargained for. My productions have become the biggest grossers of Telugu industry, have won critic’s appreciation and remain etched in people’s hearts. What more can I ask for?” says Edida Nageshwara Rao, the man behind masterpieces like ‘Sankarabharanam’ and ‘Sagara Sangamam’

It was a monsoon evening in 1980 in Rome. The scene was at the open-air amphitheatre in the historic city where his production ‘Sankarabharanam’ was being screened for an international audience at a film festival. The movie had almost reached its climax and 18 minutes of the movie was left when there was a heavy downpour.

The 1,200-plus audience’s knee-jerk reaction was to stand up and look for a shelter. Surprisingly, not one moved. They stood spellbound in their seats in perfect silence with only the sound of the rain and the song in the movie dominating the ambience. The movie ended. A wave of applause and claps went up to a deafening crescendo. “After having received that standing ovation from an international audience who did not know a word of Telugu, I think there is nothing more I can ask for,” says Edida Nageshwara Rao, 78, as he recalls about his first blockbuster production directed by Kalatapaswi K Vishwanath.

His nomination for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award has brought him back into the news (veteran Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee won it for 2011) and not winning it hardly matters to him. Just being nominated with the likes of actor Pran is enough to make him happy, he says. His production house Poornodaya Creations has made classics which not only turned out to be blockbusters but also bagged awards from across the world. The filmography itself is impressive - ‘Sankarabharanam’ (1979), ‘Sagara Sangamam’ (1983), ‘Swathi Muthyam’ (1985), ‘Swayamkrushi’ (1987), ‘Sitaara’ (1983), ‘Seethakoka Chiluka’ (1981). Each of the movies invariably dealt with artistes, their struggles, social issues etc.

His house in Film Nagar, Hyderabad, is also named as ‘Sankarabharanam’. The rangolis on the walls speak of his taste. The drawing room is spartan with no LCDs or Home Theatres. His wife Jayalakhsmi personally fetches water to guests and when the gentleman walks in, he is simplicity personified. Like him, his movies also are simple, yet profound.

No hype, publicity stunts, ‘item songs’ or skin show, the movies went on to break collection records, not just in Andhra Pradesh. ‘Sankarabharanam’ ran for two years at Kavita theatre in Kochi (where the dialogues were in Malayalam, but songs were in Telugu); ‘Sagara Sangamam’ ran for 511 days in Mysore. ‘Siri Siri Muvva’ was screened for 275 days at Shubam Talkies in Chennai. Such was the records the movies broke!

The veteran producer who hails from Kakinada started off as a theatre artiste and was known as ‘Natakala Nageshwara Rao’. During his theatre days, he bumped into actors who put him across to director K Vishwanath. The duo worked together to come up with a list of classics that remain unsurpassable even today for its content and collections. The patriarch of the production house – which is now run by his son Sriram – says he is now retired as he has given his best.

So what is the secret of his stupendous success. “My sound judgement. Whether it was about insisting that Vishwanath retain the innocence of Sivayya’s character (Kamal Haasan) in ‘Swathi Muthyam ‘or not letting the main characters die in ‘Seetakoka Chiluka’ (based on inter-caste love), I prevailed on major decisions and it paid off.

Vishwanath was tempted to make Kamal’s character as a smart one, but I thought it would kill the charm of the movie. Although the original of ‘Seetakoka Chiluka’ in Tamil has the Christian girl and Hindu boy dying at the end and sacrificing their love, I wanted it to have a happy ending when I produced it in Telugu. It was the time when inter-religious marriages were catching up and I wanted to send the right and responsible signal to the society.”

He clarifies that he made each movie with the primary idea of making money. “Obviously it involved huge stakes. However, I never compromised on my values, principles or ethics to make a hit production,” he says.

What does he think about today’s movies not getting any awards in the National level? “Firstly, are there any movies that the producers themselves are confident of?” he asks. He also won the Special Jury award for 2010. “The award came as an afterthought after my nomination for Dadasaheb came by. It is ridiculous and I am embarrassed that the state government thought of it after the national award nomination happened. These awards are based on a jury’s opinion. I would have won if there was a ballet, not the opinion of a biased few,” he added.

Any mistakes he made in his illustrious career? The only movie in which he was not involved personally – but produced it anyway – was ‘Swara Kalpana’ made by Vamsi. “It was the only flop in my career and for obvious reasons.”