VEER-ZAARA Director: Yash Chopra Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta

How many ways do I torture thee? In Devdas, Bollywood killed Shah Rukh Khan with drink. In Kal Ho Naa Ho, they gave him a weak heart. In Veer-Zaara, the wrath of the Pakistani state is visited upon Khan. But our hero stands firm-looking impossibly terrific, bypassing an off-colour Preity Zinta and romancing the audience directly. Despite a chorus which wells up every time there is a three-hankie moment, sun-kissed sarson da khet, colourful dupattas endlessly fluttering, a dementedly jovial Amitabh Bachchan and largely incomprehensible Punjabi dialogues, Khan strides across Aditya Chopra's screenplay with assured ease. Anil Mehta's camera loves him and so does most of India.

-By Kaveree Bamzai

MUGHAL-E-AZAM Director: K. Asif Cast: Prithviraj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Madhubala

Mughal-e-Azam isn't merely a movie. It is an experience; a work of art; a textbook of cinema. It is also proof that once in a few decades, when talents and destinies converge, every aspect of a film-performances, script, dialogue, casting, craft-can be perfect.

The decades haven't dated this perfection. The smouldering passions of the lovers, the emperor's rage, the intrigues of the courtesans and the battle between love and duty still make compelling viewing. The dialogue is poetry-where else will you hear lines like: "Kaaton ko murjhane ka kauf nahin hota (Thorns are not afraid of withering away)." Dilip Kumar's melancholic handsomeness and Madhubala's sublime beauty haven't paled. Purists may complain about the editing (two songs are missing) and candy colours. But Mughal-e-Azam in a multiplex is a cause for celebration. Everyone needs a reminder of the potential of Hindi cinema.

-By Anupama Chopra

Norway's The Real Thing

MUMBAI/DELHI Ever since authorities clamped down on Rang Bhavan-Mumbai's open air auditorium-the city's annual music festivals seem less fun. But organisers remain confident. The Jazz Yatra 2004 will feature eight bands including three from Europe. In Delhi, where the event takes place simultaneously (November 26-28), look out for Dutch trumpet player Saskia Laroo, Louis Banks and the organ-based soul jazz band, The Real Thing. Enjoy.

-By Anjali Doshi

MUMBAI/DELHI/BANGALORE In its 26th year, the Prithvi Theatre festival has spread its wings, from Mumbai, where it's on at five venues-Horniman Circle Gardens, P.L. Deshpande Auditorium, Mysore Association auditorium, Prithvi Theatre and the amphitheatre at Bandra Bandstand-to Delhi (at the India Habitat Centre) and Bangalore. Beginning on November 21, the star of the festival will be the legendary maverick Habib Tanvir's Naya Theatre, whose celebrated Agra Bazaar will be revived for the occasion.

NAACH Director: Ram Gopal Varma Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Antara Malir

As a premise, Naach has immense possibilities. Two strugglers meet in the gritty world of Mumbai movies populated by lecherous directors, desperately networking assistants and bed-hopping actors. One of them, Abhi, will stop at nothing to see his name on the billboard. The other, Rewa, will not compromise her art. Kiran Reddy's cinematography is brooding but Abhi is not as amoral as director Ram Gopal Varma would have us believe. And Rewa's art looks no different from a B-grade item song. What's more, every time the audience wants to celebrate Abhishek Bachchan's evolution as an actor-though the ganjis the stylist makes him wear do nothing for his build-Antara Mali's jiggling belly button gets in the way. There are only so many yogic postures that Patanjali invented but Ms Mali doesn't believe in reining herself in. Wearing bits of cloth held together by cellotape, she rarely lets the camera wander from her. Pity. Bachchan, whether he is letting a tear drop fall or looking on angst-ridden as his love moves away, is developing a sizzle. Unlike most stars, he doesn't let his muscles do the acting. Something Mali could learn from him.

-By Kaveree Bamzai

AITRAAZ Director: Abbas-Mustan Cast: Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra

Bollywood heroines seem to be taking a page out of Mae West's book: when they are good, they are very good, but when they are bad, they are even better. So Priyanka Chopra, who until now was merely vacuous eye candy, chews up the scenery playing a vixen in Aitraaz. She lusts, schemes, wrecks and isn't afraid to look ugly. It's an impressive performance. And the directors aren't afraid of plagiarising. So they took the general idea of Hollywood's Disclosure, added a few songs and a righteous wife. Aitraaz has no pretensions. It's good timepass.

-By Anupama Chopra

Swapnasundari

Swapnasundari, the dancer, makes her debut as an author with The World of Koochipoodi Dance. She speaks to S. Sahaya Ranjit about the book:

Q. From dancer to an author, is it a progression?
A. It has been a long-term plan and it took three months to write the book but the process started 20 years ago. It records the transition of Kuchipudi from a dance drama to a solo tradition. It also details the little known aspects of the dance form.

Q. How is this particular book different from other dance books?
A. It delineates the relationship of Kuchipudi with other dance traditions of Andhra Pradesh. As a book it fits into the genre of infotainment. It would illustrate to the young generation what our tradition is all about.

Q. Is there a need for documentation of dance forms?
A. Yes. We dancers are looked down on as non-cerebral. We need to forge ahead and create things.

threesixty

DELHI The buzz around the Oberoi hotel's newest eatery, threesixty°, is entirely justified. In Delhi, any restaurant that advertises a multi-cuisine menu is to be viewed with guarded suspicion but this elegantly designed restaurant is, thankfully, the exception to the rule. The 24-hour "world restaurant" that replaces the starchy French-themed La Rochelle and the somnolent coffee shop offers a hugely popular sushi bar, a Japanese yakitori grill, a wood-fired pizza oven and a tandoor providing live, interactive stations. The emphasis is on Japanese, Mediterranean and Indian, though pizza, pasta, Norwegian salmon, duck and Mousaka add a truly global flavour. The live stations and a separate lounge/bar area with a semi-private area, give it a chic but comfortable atmosphere. It is well worth a visit for the sushi and sashimi, especially the "modern" sushi dishes like the Royal Nigiri Platter with assorted sushi and the chef's signature dish, Tempura Maki. If you're the adventurous type and raw fish isn't enough to thrill you, go for the baby octopus. Prices are fairly reasonable and the restaurant promises to be a hit with Delhiites. Its extensive wine list certainly doesn't hurt.

-By Dilip Bobb

Index