Sunday Exhale: Alia Bhatt’s Rain Dance; Rajdeep Sardesai’s India
Catch some of The Quint’s best feature pieces through the week.
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Happy Sunday! We invite you to stretch out and put your feet up while we provide the reading material. Sunday Exhale is a weekly compilation of some of our best soft reads of the week.
1. Watch Alia Bhatt’s Rainy Dance
Alia Bhatt is the latest addition to the long list of celebrity fans who have been promoting Akshay Kumar’s upcoming release, Rustom. If you thought Ranveer’s Chhupa Rustom act was crazy, check out Alia Bhatt’s version of Tip Tip Barsa Paani from Akshay Kumar’s super hit film Mohra.
Akshay of course is all smiles about this and the actor tweeted saying that after this clip, Alia is bound to get a mandatory rain song in every film.
2. From Yeh Rastey To Rustom, Nanavati Continues To Entice Bollywood
Shades of the Nanavati story, apart from being portrayed in the movie Rustom, were detected in Gulzar’s Achanak (1973), Sunil Dutt’s black-and-white film Yeh Rastey Hain Pyaar Ke, and even in the form of a thinly veiled chapter in Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children.
A couple of years ago, actor Soni Razdan also sought to direct a script on similar lines. An e-line book on Nanavati is also in the works. But the movie has managed to revive interest in the case, although the truth of the case seems to be Bollywood wrapped in fiction.
Also read: The Case that Inspired ‘Rustom’ and Abolished India’s Jury System
3. #IAmIndia: Rajdeep Sardesai’s Love for Zeenat Aman & Mumbai
Mumbai is his favourite city & he absolutely loves Bombay and Goa. Rajdeep Sardesai is also a fan of 70s Bollywood. When Sholay released in 1975, his mother Nandini had said that the film would be a flop. To this day, Sardesai never misses an opportunity to remind her of that. His son Ishaan, on the other hands, loves The Silence of the Lambs. Watch the story of how India has changed, as told by one of India’s most famous newsmen and his family.
4. Meet the Gay Couple That Taught Me Everything I Know About Love
Gay or straight, we all need to know how the hell to find love, and keep it. While recovering from a failed relationship, The Quint’s Megha Mathur received her lessons in love from a gay couple whose intimate, happy and positive relationship had a calming effect on her that gave her perspective on love, marriage, even sex.
5. QDekhein: Rustom’s Loose Narrative Fails to Hold Our Attention
A period drama set in 1959, Rustom brings to the silver screen the case of KM Nanavati, who was accused of murdering his wife’s lover. The much publicised case described as “the 3 shots that shook the nation” translates into 150 minutes of relentless melodrama and over acting! Apart from Akshay, who looks dapper in his white Navy uniform, the lose narrative fails to hold our attention. 2.5 quints out of 5 is all that it deserves.
6. Review: For the Price, Xiaomi Redmi 3S Prime Is as Good as It Gets
The Xiaomi Redmi 3 Prime has got everything you’re looking for in an affordable phone right now, writes Adeetya Sreeram. The right size, accompanied with strong hardware and quality snappers. You also get a long battery life as an added bonus; who doesn’t like a phone that lasts long? However, with Xiaomi, there’s always a problem, the dreaded Out-of-Stock. So, the moment you get a chance to buy this phone, don’t think, just go for it.
7. In Photos: The Spirit of Independence in Old Delhi’s Kite Market
The kite market in Lal Kuan, Old Delhi is the largest and oldest kite markets in the capital. The shops are stacked with colourful kites, available in every possible shape and size, and spools tightly wound with manja. These kites are made in dark corners on the narrow streets of Lal Kuan. The kite makers work for more than 12 hours a day inside very small, poorly lit rooms. On an average, a kite maker earns Rs 20,000 to 25,000 during the kite flying season. Take a look at the photographs, as part of Quint Lens.
8. 25 P Then, Rs 250 Now: Slide to See How India Changed Since 1947
From a film ticket for 25 paise in 1947, which still managed to push a relatively new Dilip Kumar movie’s Box Office collection to 50 lakh rupees, we’ve come a long way. We are happy to pay Rs 250 for a Salman Khan film which takes less than a month to join the coveted 300 crore club. How else has India changed?
9. Why You Must Watch Anil Kapoor’s ‘24’ (& Banish the Demons on TV)
While Anil Kapoor’s 24 (Season 2) is well into its third weekend, there is an unusual silence around it — strange thinks Urmi Bhattacheryya — “considering that the show is to Indian TV what lemon is to a perfectly bland spritzer.” She suggests, that if you haven’t yet caught on to the show, now is the right time, as the season is sitting on an interesting cliff hanger.
10. Cola Cans & Trash Bags: The Indian Tourist ‘Lives it up’ in Ladakh
Our dirty imprints have reached the pristine sights of Pangong Tso (a high altitude lake in Ladakh), too, as environmental law researcher Richa Tyagi found out. With every lake-ward step she took, she saw smaller ponds leading up to the lake choked with plastic bottles and packets of chips. The sight, she later found out, which was meant to be a protected nesting site for several endangered birds, was now populated by only a few hardy Brahmini ducks.
11. Exclusive: This Version of ‘Vande Mataram’ Attempts to Unite All
Music has the power to touch one’s heart and this song will make you want to spread love among your brethren – across boundaries of religion, caste and class. It touches different people in different ways. Some are touched by a feeling of patriotism, some by warmth and peace. In either case, the underlying message is love.
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