PICTURE SPEAK

Missiles of Faith: An installation by Munshi

The nature of art went through a radical shift in the middle of the 20th century. Interestingly, the more the nation state weakened-through strife and through commerce and culture-the stronger the concept of regional and communal identities became. The art of the refugee gripped the imagination not only of the displaced artists and communities, but also of the audience-which often included those who vanquished these very people in the first place.

So the art and literature of the displaced is not only an act of catharsis for the artist-in-exile but also an ablution of the vanquisher's soul. Artist Veer Munshi's works in the exhibition, put up by Art Alive Gallery, titled "Encounters", tackle the complex and bittersweet nostalgia for an idyllic Kashmir decimated by terrorism. Comprising paintings, sculptural objects and lyrical installations, these works, according to curator Geeti Sen, "live in an extra-territorial space".

Yet, as can be expected, Munshi's works do not become rhetorical slogans. Rather, endowed with metaphor and wit, as critic Ranjit Hoskote notes, "the volatility of such emotions is tuned to a fine pitch of poignancy, the restrained cadence of the elegiac." At Art Alive Gallery till September 15.

-By S.Kalidas

PICTURE SPEAK

RENEWING TRADITION: Rao-de-Haas and Sharma (right)

-By S. Sahaya Ranjit

PICTURE SPEAK

Metamorphosis by Banerjee

-By Aditi Pai

PICTURE SPEAK

Chopra and Khanna

Bollywood's My-Big-Fat-Indian-Wedding formula (Punjabi folk songs, smiling relatives, epic sets, dances and shava shava) is so jaded now that even Karan Johar has moved on to divorce. But Dharmesh Darshan, who once made convoluted but oddly compelling melodramas such as Raja Hindustani, is still flogging the dead horse. He takes a Hollywood movie (The Wedding Date) and bungs in lots of bad sexual jokes about ringtones, one Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge-style scene about a drunk night spent together in a car and several disconnected songs. The result is a threadbare romantic comedy which is neither romantic nor comic. The plot-about a woman hiring an escort to win back her ex-boyfriend's affections at her sister's wedding-runs out of steam post-interval. Then it's tears and plodding discussions about love. The trouble with these wannabe-Yash Chopra films is that even the clothes aren't delectable enough to serve as distractions.The viewer is left to ponder details such as, why is Akshaye Khanna wearing nasty-looking gray gloves in so many scenes?

-By Anupama Chopra

Music Today
CD Rs 150

The music composer duo of Bapi-Tutul and Dhruv Dhalia is relatively new, but their music is refreshing and not run-of-the-mill. Kailash Kher's Chak de phattey, a satire on the land mafia, is peppy, while Adnan Sami's Ab kya karenge fails to impress. The soft and silky voice of Sowmya Raoh shines through. The cd also includes the funny remix version of Chak de phattey.

THE BEST OF QAWWALI

EMI
2CDs Rs 395

The tradition of the qawwali is said to have originated with the legendary composer and poet Amir Khusrau. It is a form of communication with God. Presented in this collection are qawwalis from three of the greatest exponents of the style-Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Aiz Mian and the Sabri Brothers. Rare compositions in the two-cd pack.

RAAG RAGESHRI

Universal
CD Rs 290

Santoor Pandit Tarun Bhatta-charya explores raga Rageshri, a romantic raga meant to be played at night, accompanied by Bikram Ghosh on the tabla. The interplay with rhythm is pleasing and Bhattacharya's energy is enviable. That should make his guru Pandit Ravi Shankar proud.

-By S. Sahaya Ranjit

Index