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Film

‘Our Dhak Dhak was a tribute to Madhuri’

Model, anchor Gaelyn Mendonca talks about her very first Hindi film, and why she wishes she was a part of ‘Barfi!’.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

She’s been a TV anchor and has even hosted ‘Pepsi Change The Game 2011’ as part of the Cricket World Cup coverage, apart from walking the ramp for every major designer at Lakme Fashion Week. And like most models and TV personalities, Gaelyn Mendonca recently made the switch to Hindi films – Gaelyn’s first film was the just-released Nautanki Saala, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Kunal Roy Kapur.

In an interview with The Metrognome, Gaelyn talks about shooting for her first Hindi film, dancing to Madhuri Dixit’s legendary ‘Dhak Dhak’ song and shooting with ‘her buddy’ Ayushmann. Excerpts from the interview:

How did you get the opportunity to work on Nautanki Saala?
Gaelyn: The casting director of the film gave me a call and I gave a screen test for the film. Within two hours I was finalised for the role and I started with the workshops the very next day.

Please tell us about your role in the film.
Gaelyn: I play this girl named Chitra who is Ayushmann’s girfriend in the film. She is headstrong and practical. She loves him a lot but has a few issues with the way he deals with certain situations.

How did you prepare for this character?

Gaelyn: Loads of preparation went into this movie. Ayushmann, Kunal, Pooja and I went through an intensive 20-odd day workshop where we rehearsed our stuff and got fully familiarised with the script.

What was it like shooting for ‘Dhak dhak’? How long did this shoot take?
Gaelyn: Shooting ‘Dhak Dhak’ was one of the high points of my career. We shot the whole song in just one day! We tried to recreate the classic with a modern and funky twist to it.

Did you or the other girls feel any pressure about shooting for ‘Dhak Dhak’, considering that the original starred a legendary dancer like Madhuri Dixit?
Gaelyn: We never looked at it as a comparison to the classic, hence there was no pressure. It’s a tribute to Madhuri Dixit and I completely enjoyed myself, as dancing is my passion and I think we did justice to the brief that was given to us.

Do you feel that your stint on TV helped you in any way for this film?
Gaelyn: I certainly didn’t have any inhibitions or cold feet while shooting as I am used to being in front of the camera. So yes, in a way, my stint on TV helped.

A few TV actors/anchors have recently made a successful switch to films. Why do you think it is that most TV actors/anchors/VJs don’t do so well in films?
Gaelyn: I feel that at the end of it all, your performance in the film matters. If you are a good actor, you will go a long way in films, and Ayushmann is certainly a good example of that. He has proved that even though he has been an anchor for TV shows, he can act equally well, too.

Several new faces are being launched in practically every new film. How can one ensure that one remains in public memory long after the film is out of the theatres?
Gaelyn: The audience will remember only and only a great performance. And that is the only way to remain in people’s minds.

What was most memorable about shooting for Nautanki Saala?
Gaelyn: I loved that I was shooting with my buddy Ayushmann. All the scenes that I shot with him were fun and memorable. Also, the whole film making process was very overwhelming for me.

Of your co-stars, who did you enjoy shooting with?
Gaelyn: All of us as a team were brilliant together, but I had a great time hanging out with Kunal Roy Kapur.

Tell us a bit about your life off the cameras. What do you do to relax?
Gaelyn: I love to talk, so my friends become the unfortunate victims of my talking hobby in my free time, haha! I’m a homebody, and I like to unwind by watching TV or movies and eating. I love food!

Is there a film you wish you had been a part of?
Gaelyn: Barfi!, for sure. I loved every scene in that film.

Do you foresee a long career in films? Which aspect of Indian cinema are you most attracted to?
Gaelyn: Hopefully! I have my fingers crossed. What I love the most about our cinema is the song and dance.

What is one thing nobody knows about you?
Gaelyn: That I’m a trained ballroom dancer.

Is there something about the entertainment industry that you dislike?
Gaelyn: As of now, nothing really. I’m pretty happy with the industry.

(Pictures by Nimish Jain)

Categories
Tech

10 must-have apps for the iPhone 5

Your iPhone 5 can be even more awesome if you get these 10 work and social apps, plus some fun games ones.
by Manik Kakra

So you got your shiny, new iPhone? It’s awesome, isn’t it? Well, you know what could make it even better – apps and games. Over the years, iOS has become a dominant player when it comes to mobile. Developers across the world want to develop their apps for iOS – because the platform is popular, used widely, and app quality is top notch. So, here is a list of 10 apps and a few games apps to get you started with your new Apple gadget:

1. Chrome

Most of us use Chrome on our PCs. By using Chrome on your iPhone, you can sync bookmarks between the devices without any hassle. Just sign in and you are good to go. While it doesn’t enjoy as much freedom as Safari does on iOS, the browser works smoothly and feels like home for PC Chrome users. 

An alternative? Opera Mini

2. Tweetbot

Are you on active on Twitter? If yes, then there’s no way you can’t have Tweetbot installed on your iPhone. This Twitter client is one of the best out there. No compromises – neat UI, feature-rich, and support from developers.

The alternative? Twitterrific

3. Camera+

The iPhone 5 (and 4S) has a great camera, and it can be put to even better use by using something like Camera+. This app allows you to snap photos as well as edit them – with borders, filters, exposure, and more.

The alternative? Paper Camera

4. Dropbox

Dropbox is a must-have app, regardless of what device you are carrying. It is a cross-platform cloud storage service, which allows you to sync your precious data across your devices. You can buy more storage as and when required, according to their plans.

The alternative? Box

5. Evernote

Evernote has, over the years, become a solid app for not only taking notes, but also to compile to-do lists. It synchronises them across devices, as it has a web version, too.

The alternative? Springpad

6. 1Password

As you use your phone or any other connected device, you keep signing up for a number of services, and, as a result, have to remember their respective passwords. 1Password is your one-stop app to stop worrying about having to remember so many passwords. The user doesn’t have to look up in the app as he/she will be signed in automatically.

The alternative? LastPass

7. Airport Utility

This free manager allows you to fully control your Airport stations. It lists all the devices connected, and gives you options to change settings you want.

8. Flipboard

This app is sort of a news-aggregator. You can choose which news sites you want it to combine, and then the app presents them in a beautiful manner, thus allowing you to have your very own virtual magazine.

The alternative? Zite

9. WhatsApp

Chances are that you might be using this app already on your phone. Right? No doubt it’s the most popular cross-platform messaging service today, well worth the money for chatting with your friends.

The alternative? Viber

10. 8Tracks

This is an Internet radio service that gives access to thousands of radio stations made specifically for people having a particular genre preference, created by like-minded people.

The alternative? Pandora

For games, check these out:

Subway Surfers

Angry Birds HD

Real Racing 2

Ruzzle

Did Manik miss any apps which are essential to start with your iPhone? Do let him know your favourite or worst app experiences in the comments section below this article.

(Picture courtesy engadget.com)

Categories
Listen

Where music comes to the people

National Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA), after entertaining commuters on Western Railway, wants to spread the cheer at other Mumbai spots.
by Medha Kulkarni

June 27, 2012 was an interesting day at Churchgate station. In the midst of this busy railway station, a group of musicians assembled for their first-ever performance. It was a small performance involving two buskers, Jishnu Guha from UK and Sureshji, an Uttarachali folk singer, (both talented vocalists) and within minutes, a crowd had gathered to hear them.

This group was the National Streets for Performing Arts (NSPA) at work. The NSPA was born last year out of the idea to take the performing arts to the people by reclaiming public spaces for street performances. By its own admission, the NSPA seeks to champion public spaces as an alternative platform for performance, encouraging greater interaction between artists and the community, creating spaces of cultural interaction and energising the very city and its people. It aims to support the livelihoods of less privileged and independent performers across diverse genres.

A big factor in starting the NSPA? “To rekindle an atmosphere of street performances in urban India (starting with Mumbai) that aims to bring some joy to the lives of millions as they go about their daily commute,” says founder Ajit Dayal,52, best known as the founder of Equitymaster, Personal FN and Quantum Mutual Fund, when asked about the inspiration behind this unique initiative. Recalling his childhood days of watching street performers in Mumbai city and noting how street performers continue to brighten the lives of residents of cities like London and Paris, Ajit says he wanted to “recreate that in an organised fashion in Mumbai.”

 

Following their debut performance at Churchgate station, the NSPA launched full time performances on October 8, 2012, with music performances at Churchgate station on Mondays, Borivli station on Wednesdays and Bandra station on Fridays from 9 am to 11am and 5 pm to 8 pm. NSPA chooses its locations with care, ensuring that the site would be frequented by large numbers of people but in a spot that doesn’t cause any trouble or inconvenience to commuters.

With a small team of eight members, each a passionate lover of art and performance, NSPA manages to pull off successful events each time and the response from the general public only acts as good encouragement. “The response has been encouraging, proving to both us and the artists that the city of Mumbai is receptive and open to an initiative such as this. We hope to continue the performances at the railway stations and soon expand to parks, gardens and bandstands in the city and across the country, thus weaving art into the very fabric of the city and making performances as regular an occurrence as the trains , the buses and the commuters,” says Shrishti Iyer, Performance Co-ordinator at NSPA.

Apart from the regular performances at Western Railway stations, the NSPA has been collaborating with major art festivals in the city like the Indikaleido Festival, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, the BMW-Guggenheim Lab etc.

Encouraged by their initial success, the NSPA is now seeking to expand to Central railway Stations, Horniman Circle Gardens and bandstands across the city, apart from other public spaces.

If you want to keep track of their performance so you can catch the next one, all you have to do is ‘like’ their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nspa.streets for regular updates and notifications.

Categories
Watch

Those ‘others’…

Watch this film if you’re interested in transgender issues; the film is about Urmi, a transgender living in Mumbai city.
by Medha Kulkarni

Today, a film on transgenders will air at the New Marine Lines-based Alliance Francaise, an educational organisation with a non-profit cultural goal. Titled Urmi, the film is a 2010 film by Jehangir Jani and it tells the story of Urmi, the protagonist, a transgendered person living in Mumbai. Urmi roams the city of Mumbai and the film chronicles her search for love and meaningful relationships within the context of a quest for a self-identity. It is an interesting perspective on a city that most of us call home and yet, because of gender dynamics in the city, we rarely get to see.

The film was a TISS-UAGC funded project (Tata Institute of Social Sciences-Urban Aspirations in Global Cities) and is a part of their massive campaign to spread awareness about and to sensitise people to gender issues and dispel myths and the resulting social evils that are born out of ignorance.

Pallav Patankar (in pic on left), director of the HIV program at the Humsafar Trust, is also the actor in the film. “The aim of this film is to highlight the issues that members of the transgendered community face in daily life. It aims to show the ups and downs in their lives and thus help mainstream society understand them” he says.

The film promises to be an interesting one and the panel discussion which will be chaired by Chitra Palekar (film director and LGBT supporter), Jehangir Jani (artist whose work revolves around gender and sexuality issues) and Pallav Patankar, and will throw up some interesting perspectives. The event is free and open to all. Seating is on first-come-first-serve basis.

The Humsafar trust, was set up in 1994, is the first openly gay community-based organisation to be allotted space in a municipal building. It seeks to provide the gay community (and increasingly the entire LGBT community) in Mumbai and India with various facilities to provide the community with the knowledge and resources they require and also works to dispel the prejudice that society has towards this segment of people.

Head to the Alliance Francaise Auditorium, 40, Theosophy Hall, Vithaldas Thackersey Marg, New Marine Lines, Churchgate, Mumbai. The film starts at 6:30 pm.

(Pictures courtesy deccanchronicle.com, mumbaiboss.com. Featured image is a file picture used for representational purpose only and is not a still from the film)

Categories
Event

Waxing poetic over coffee

Poetry Tuesdays moves out of Thane into Santacruz for its fourth event today. If poetry is your thing, be there.
by Medha Kulkarni

Mumbai is an exciting city with lots of wonderful cultural events on offer. Unfortunately most of these happenings are confined to South Mumbai or Bandra, but a casual conversation between two friends over a cup of coffee a little over two years ago sparked the beginning of an event that would slowly change this state of affairs.

Anish Vyavhare and Ashish Amin, poetry and literature enthusiasts, noticed that most poetry-centric events that happen in the city take place only in south Mumbai, and seem to be aimed only at professional writers, poets, copy writers etc. They decided that this needs to be changed and that is how ‘Poetry Tuesdays’ was born.

The first event was held over two years ago in Thane. Not limited to language or word limit, the event is open to everyone and is absolutely free. The aim of Poetry Tuesdays is to provide people with a place to meet like-minded people and to give amateurs a platform to share their work and more importantly, to encourage people to keep alive a dying art.

Till recently, Poetry Tuesday sessions were organised only in Thane, but today, April 9, marks the fourth session at Santa Cruz. The location for the sessions keeps changing (keep track of their FB page for updates) as they meet at different cafés or restaurants. This eliminates the need for a permanent space and keeps the event free.

Ashish says that this also adds an element of spontaneity to their sessions. “Often, other patrons at the café get interested in what we’re doing and join us and surprise with impromptu poetry. Our poetry sessions are always fun and it’s a great way to make friends over a cup of coffee and a shared interest.”

“We want to ensure that every part of Mumbai has a Poetry Tuesday event and hopefully, in the future we can invite talents from across the country to make our events more exciting,” says Ashish, speaking of their future plans.

Ashish’s rules for today’s event

“A Colour Couplet is a two-line poem that involves the use of a colour in it. Not a big thing to do! Take a colour, interpret it or just write a couplet on it.

A couplet is two lines of poem. It may or may not rhyme.

That is it! At the end of all of us reading our couplets, we make it into a single grand poem!

You may write in any language. And as always, the theme is not compulsory. You can write on anything you wish, in any language – English, Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu, Kashmiri, Urdu, French, Zulu, Tagalog, whichever!

It is not a competition and there are no judges.”

If you’re interested in participating or simply listening to good poetry, head to Ola Vakola near Vakola Police Station tomorrow by 7:30 pm. Call Ashish on 9920416997 for details or check their FB page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/PoetrySantacruz

Categories
Tech

This just in: Motorheadphones

A new range of headphones, designed in collaboration with rock band Motörhead, are targetted at rock and pop-loving music listeners.

They were launched in Europe very recently, and have now launched in India. The Motorheadphones, designed in collaboration with the rock band Motörhead by Krusell International, are meant to ‘deliver everything louder than everything else but with the sort of range, clarity and true rock reproduction one would expect from a rock performance on stage.’

The headphones, called Motorheadphones, have been rated amongst the top 5 out of the 10 best headphones in the market at present. The makers insist that these headphones will focus on the rock/pop audience, target groups that are critical listeners, and hence, the design and build go with the attitude that rock stands for.

What’s more, most models are said to be smartphone-ready while two of them will be equipped with the new developed microphone ‘Controlizer’, which the makers claim is one of the ‘most advanced remote controls on the market.’ The products will be available with leading CE and music retailers.

The headphones are available in the range Bomber, Ironfist, Motorizer, Overkill and Trigger range. Go to www.motorheadphones.com for details.

 

 

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