DELHI No patron of serious cinema needs to be told why Mohsen Makhmalbaf's films are accomplished. From The Peddler and Once Upon A Time Cinema to A Moment of Silence, his stories have been excruciatingly real. Makhmalbaf, 48, who has wrapped up the shooting of Scream of the Ants, his first film in India-after waiting for the official nod for 15 years-is recovering from a brush with Indian reality. "The paperwork in your country never ends," he says. "The truth is the biggest enemy of your great country is corruption and the bureaucracy."

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A still from Scream of the Ants

Truth. Inspired by the words of poet Rumi-whom he quotes with ease and frequency-that truth can be seen from different angles, Makhmalbaf says, "I love your country. It has diverse cultures, languages, religions, and non-violence also comes from India. In Iran, there is only one language, one religion and one culture: fascism." The hitch, though, is that Indian films "never show a slice of India". And "rubbish" is how he describes Bollywood. "I see Bollywood films to understand what not to do. They only sell dreams, whereas art cinema from Iran sells poetry. Even Satyajit Ray, a filmmaker I admire, rarely showed the philosophy of India. It is this philosophy that I tried to capture in Scream... It is, in essence, about the universe."

Shot in six weeks with a part set in France, the film is almost two hours long and multilingual with dialogues in English, French, Farsi and dialects of Indian languages. Makhmalbaf's 18th feature film, starring Mahmoud Chokrollahi, Mahnour Shadzi and an ensemble cast of ordinary Indians, is slotted for a festival premiere but where exactly-Cannes, Venice or Berlin-is as yet undecided. It might eventually find an India release. "One should do what one wants to do without thinking of success. What is success anyway?" the auteur asks.

The truth is, he ought to know.

-By Shilpa Rohatgi

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A scene from the ballet Chirantan

KOLKATA Tanusree Shankar, daughter-in-law of the legendary Udayshankar and widow of Ananda Shankar, is set to stage her latest production Chirantan (Eternal), to open on May 9 (Tagore's birthday) at The Kalamandir. The 35-minute-long ballet, with 22 dancers, is like a collage of excerpts from Tagore's works that reinforce Man's faith in self, truth, love, peace and spirituality. It is set against the present day backdrop of hatred, war, intolerance and suspicion. Amitabh Bachchan has done the narration and recitation, and the music is by Debojyoti Mishra. "I have used excerpts from Geetanjali and The Child because certain poems gelled with the theme of the ballet," says Shankar. Says the Big B: "It was a privilege to be a part of this very creative venture." The production will also travel to Mumbai, Delhi and then to the UK, with the opening performance on September 10 at Queen Elizabeth Auditorium, followed by shows in Glasgow, Kent, Birmingham and New Castle.

-By Soumitra Ghosh

The new Green Point range

DELHI The wine scene just got better with a new range of Green Point wines from the Yarra Valley, Australia. Owned by Moet Hennessey, Green Point launches Brut, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (price in Delhi is Rs 1,355) and Green Point Victoria Shiraz 2002. The Shiraz, awarded a rare 93 points by Wine Spectator, is a classic red with rich, fruity flavours and a touch of licorice and black pepper. It retails for Rs 1,475, well worth the price.

-By Dilip Bobb

Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya

MUMBAI Khayal Trust presents "Santoor Sandhya" at which Pandit Tarun Bhattacharya of Maihar gharana and Pandit Ulhas Bapat, both known to have a thorough command on rhythms, will present their individual styles. At Nehru Centre, Worli, on May 14. delhi Padatik Dance Centre presents Prem Prakriti O Nayaki, a Kathak choreography on Rabindra Sangeet, to mark Rabindra Jayanti. At India Habitat Centre, May 8.

BANGALORE Here's something for the gastronomically adventurous. Touted as the first Vietnamese restaurant in India, Blue Ginger is set in an oriental, tiled pavilion of the former Paradise Island, at The Taj West End.

DELHI Manifestations III showcases 100 artists from the Delhi Art Gallery Collection, including Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore, Laxman Pai and Ganesh Pyne. Delhi Art Gallery, 11, Hauz Khas Village, till May 14.

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"Tina Turner" dance drama

Sing Along

BANGALORE Tina Turner may not have visited Bangalore when she last came to India, but that has not reduced her fan base in the city. A musical dance-drama titled What's love got to do with it? features Turner's best known songs. It is written and directed by Kaushik Shankar, known for his shock value in previous plays. Also in the production is singer/actor Pricilla Corner. On May 8, at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall.

-By Nirmala Ravindran

Period Melody

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PARINEETA Tips; CD Rs 150

Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's poetic prose comes to life in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's cinematic adaptation of Parineeta. Piya bole, the opening number, is a gentle love song where Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam are successful in translating into music the mood of the lyrics, which deal with the intensity of relationships. The emotions are beautifully captured by music director Shantanu Moitra. In contrast, in Kasto mazza, the chorus by children is chirpy and Nigam and Ghoshal once again effortlessly carry the happy song. For a more westernised edge, a sensuous texture with a jazz influence, in the genre of old songs by Geeta Dutt, there is Sunidhi Chauhan with Kaisi paheli zindagani. While Chitra, the singer from the south, does full justice to Raat hamari toh, a slow love duet, the pleasant surprise comes with Dhinak dhinak dha by Rita Ganguly, a disciple of ghazal queen Begum Akhtar. The album is a winner in terms of variety and voices. The music recreates the 1960s, a challenging task in modern times. Moitra does well.

-By S. Sahaya Ranjit

Costume Call

Following in the footsteps of choreographer Farah Khan's successful Bombay Dreams is Anna Singh. The designer now lends her name to the credits of the stage adaptation of M.M. Kaye's novel The Far Pavilions, directed by Emmy Award winner Gale Edwards, whose previous hits include Jesus Christ Superstar and Whistle Down The Wind. Excerpts from an interview with kimi dangor.

Q. How did you get involved in this venture?
A. Kabir Bedi, who is part of the cast, called me to say that there was trouble with the clothes for the character of Princess Anjuli. I got a brief and measurements over email, put together six outfits and Gayatri Iyer wore them on the opening night a week later.

Q. What's Princess Anjuli's wardrobe like?
A. Lehengas in fuchsia, emerald green, tangerine and turquoise with antique gota embroidery and heavy embellishment. I stuck to the colours popular with Rajas-thani royalty of that period.

Q. What is it like to work with a £ 4 million production?
A. They are professional, precise and there is complete sync between sets, costumes and singing.

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