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#DUB Review: The War Diary of Asha-san: From Tokyo to Netaji’s Indian National Army

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The War Diary of Asha-san provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of a young girl who was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for India’s independence. It is a moving account of the great endeavours undertaken by India’s brave patriots in order to win freedom from British rule.

Lt. Bharati ‘Asha’ Sahay Choudhry was born in Japan in 1928 to Anand Mohan Sahay and Sati Sen. Both her parents were completely committed to the ideal of Indian independence. They believed that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was the leader who could win India’s freedom, and became some of his most ardent supporters and closest confidantes. Growing up in such a household where her parents considered the struggle for independence to be more important than everything else, Lt. Bharati (or Asha-san) was imbibed with the ideals of patriotism and sacrifice for her nation from a very young age.

Asha began to write this diary in June 1943, when she was 15 years old and World War II was in full swing. It begins with an account of her meeting Netaji for the first time, and requesting to fight in the Rani of Jhansi Regiment of the Indian National Army. Just a teenager, Asha-san was already ready to take up arms and do her part for the liberation of India. As readers, we are provided with a view into a very unique situation of cross-cultural transmission. Asha-san’s love for Japan is evident in her writing. We get a glimpse of life in wartime Japan and a firsthand account of the alliance between Netaji’s Azad Hind Government and Japan, which is still not widely discussed in most accounts of India’s freedom struggle. With Asha-san’s father being one of Netaji’s closest companions, we also see the extent of the impact Netaji had on the general population of east and south-east Asia, and how he served as an inspiration for countless Indians.

For their thousand questions of ‘Why?’ we had one answer: `For freedom.’

In 1945, Asha-san left her home at the age of 17 to enlist in the Rani of Jhansi regiment. The diary details her journey through south-east Asia and the guerilla training she underwent as part of the Rani of Jhansi Regiment. The reader is presented with Asha-san’s single minded focus on the liberation of India at every turn. The extent of her patriotism is incredible, especially considering that she had never set foot in India at the time. It is impossible to not be moved while reading about the great sacrifices made by the soldiers of the Indian National Army. Even after the Japanese surrender and Netaji’s untimely death, the men and women of the INA were undeterred and wished to carry on their struggle for independence. Asha-san’s bravery shines through her words.

It is like looking into the fluttering pages of history- as though each wave carries with it a story of a historical marvel or a disaster. How many ferries, boats and ships must have sunk in this bay? How many lovers of India, how many invaders must be spending sleepless nights under this sea?

The diary also provides us with an intimate glimpse into the highest echelons of the Indian freedom fighters. Through her parents, Asha-san was introduced to people like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sarojini Naidu, to name just a few. Aptly, the diary ends in August 1947, when India finally gained independence from the British, and the lifelong vision of all these brave freedom fighters was realised. This is the story of a young girl who had already dedicated her life to her country at the age of 15, and it serves as an important reminder of the ideals and values we must continue to strive for as India completes 75 years of her independence. The book is incredibly engaging as a whole, and a must-read for people who are interested in India’s freedom struggle.

Read Also: Indian Universities and Activism: Fifty-Shades of Azadi

Urmi Maitra [email protected]

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#DUBeatReview – The Song of Achilles: A Modern Retelling of Immortal Love

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A tale of love and loss set in the ages of Greek heroes, ‘The Song of Achilles’ is a mythological fiction novel penned by Madeleine Miller. The following piece is a review of this modern interpretation of ‘The Iliad’, examining the portrayal of queerness at its center through the author’s personal lens. 

A tale of love and loss set in the ages of Greek heroes, ‘The Song of Achilles’ is a mythological fiction novel penned by Madeleine Miller. The following piece is a review of this modern interpretation of ‘The Iliad’, examining the portrayal of queerness at its center through the author’s personal lens. 

Everything is more beautiful because we’re doomed.

Homer, The Iliad 

A story about love, war, and everything that unravels in between, ‘The Song of Achilles’ is Madeleine Miller’s reimagination of the historic Trojan War, albeit from the perspective of an unnarrated character. Set in the age of heroes, we glide through the story of Patroclus, a young prince exiled by his father to the kingdom of Phthia, where he meets Achilles and embarks on a journey that is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking.

Awkward, and often inhibited, our main character Patroclus had always found himself not quite belonging anywhere in place or spirit. A sudden shift of events finds him in the Court of Peleus, Achilles’ home. Strong, handsome, and adored by everyone – Achilles is everything Patroclus was always expected to be. This marks the beginning of an ordinary friendship between the two that soon blossoms into something far more intense and enchanting, weaving us into a tale of love like no other. One can even go on to say that it’s the classic “socially awkward hero meets popular jock” trope, set in the time of legends.

An absolute page-turner and tear-jerker from the get-go, ‘The Song of Achilles’ is perhaps the most heartfelt and emotionally pungent book that I’ve read in a long time. The story from the start doesn’t stick to any traditional interpretation of ‘The Iliad’, exemplifying the great deeds of a conventional hero that one would probably treat as a fairy tale. Rather, through the eyes of Patroclus, Miller gives us the untold account of a character who was always veiled behind the shadows of great conquerors. It’s the extraordinary life story of an ordinary person. And in doing that, she gives birth to a tale that is so human and relatable in its essence, that it makes us shake to the core while bewitchingly asking for more.

As a person who identifies as Queer, reading ‘The Song of Achilles’ was like finding a mirror set amongst the landscapes of Greece. While being a story of love and loss, that is not all that the book encompasses. When I read about Patroclus describing his feelings on first realising that he was attracted to Achilles, I could echo the confusion that came with questioning his identity for the first time. His experiences of young love and the agony of not being good enough for someone else clearly spelled out the twisted emotions that I couldn’t find words to express before. It is then this tenderness and vulnerability of love portrayed by the author – so subtle in its narration, yet so powerful in its essence – that left me stung by a swarm of inexplicable emotions.

Perhaps the most redeeming factor of this book is that it doesn’t present itself as “a Queer love story”. Miller doesn’t place the protagonists’ Queerness as a distinction against prevailing heteronormativity – something that modern LGBTQIA+ centric romances are so fond of creating. We see no fetishization of the characters; they aren’t portrayed as alien species who’ve just discovered superhuman powers in the form of their sexuality, but just as two teenagers discovering the sweet reality of caring for each other. There is no need created for a grandiose “coming out” scene. And most of all, Achilles and Patroclus aren’t narrated to cater to the straight gaze. It is ironic that as a Queer individual, I could find more of myself between the lines of a mythological story than any modern Queer romances.

(Read also: The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller – Review by The Guardian)

At its heart, the book is everything you want from a modern rendition of an age-old romance: raw, soft, melancholic. Reading lines like “He is half of my soul, as the poets say” and “our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other” filled me with the bittersweet hope that love always brings. Miller’s rhapsodic descriptions and poetic voice are distinctively a literary symphony in themselves. To put it into metaphor, the book feels like the gentle warmth of sunlight on your back after a raging stormy day.

The biggest take back from the book for me was that it reignited the belief that love is indeed the most powerful force of nature, whether it’s on the battlefields of Ancient Greece or in 21st-century urban relationships. A tapestry of love that reeks of possibility and pain, ‘The Song of Achilles’ will be my foremost recommendation to everyone I ever meet. To all readers I’d say, quit romanticizing ‘Call Me By Your Name’ as the pioneer of young Queer love narration and pick up ‘The Song of Achilles’. I’m sure Achilles would be glad to know that his love for Patroclus didn’t end up being remembered as his Achilles’ Heel, but as a force so powerful, it helped all of us Heal.

Read Also:

  1. #DUBeatReview – Evening Shadows: Underwhelming Execution of a Promising Premise
  2. #DUBeatReview – Super Deluxe: A Dazzling Nexus of Crooked Worlds

 

Featured Image Credits: All Characters Wanted

Molina Singh

[email protected] 

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DUB Speak

Pretentious DU Review

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Delhi University (DU) seems to be the dream of almost every kid, cramming up all possible books to fetch a seat, performing all sorts of rituals for the sake of one’s dream college. The competition goes on and on. But is the DU craze justified?

 

  • North Campus Elitism

The ‘colony’ of colleges is a peculiar attribute of DU, thanks to Rang-De-Basanti, maybe that is why the north campus hype prances in its (hyped) glory? The overemphasis of the north campus, somewhere down the line, suggests the underlying elitism. While if one cares to hover their eyes over the map of Delhi, other colleges like Lady Shri Ram, Sri Venkateshwara College, Gargi College, etc. also exist. And do we even need to acquaint you with the ‘North Campus vs. South Campus’ tussle? You know the story from numerous YouTube videos. We get it North Campus, you have Virgin Tree in Hindu College and Kamla Nagar’s momos but that’s all there is.

  •  Study Culture

The infamous study culture of DU is not a secret. Many condemn that DU has only been successful in imparting degrees, but has failed when it comes to imparting knowledge. “A student from Calcutta University will take tuitions, will study for umpteen number of hours, while a DU student will pick up their books a week before the examinations. And at the end of the day, score more than us.” says, a pass out from Calcutta University who wished to be anonymous. The prominent DU degree is just a facade, while colleges like NLU and IITs provide high placements to their toppers, DU provides just boasting rights as placements at DU does not exist, well except for SRCC.

  • Infrastructure

Panting fans, ceilings which give a ‘near-to-death’ experience (we’re pointing at you Daulat Ram College), roads which remain under construction even after you clear all your backs and a master’s degree, washrooms (we’ll leave it to your imagination), aren’t these a class apart? (Note the heavy sarcasm). The infrastructure of DU is a different story altogether, a story which is poles apart from the preconceived image of DU. A DU aspirant with ambition in eyes is often met with broken benches, more broken than their hopes.

  •  Classes and Timetables

The classes have a scenario worth noticing! Classes are packed with over 100 students, which look more like a poultry farm than a classroom. Maybe it is our time to shout – “DU, is this a fish market?” The given timetable and the actual timetable never lie parallel, the once jam-packed timetable, at the end of the day, is nothing but a series of lectures which were cancelled because Monica ma’am went for vacation and college forgot to hire a guest teacher. You can also witness the deadly shift of classes, the 11:30 a.m. class can become a 3:15 p.m. class keeping you in college that longer.

  •  Societies (oh, the drama!)

The society hype stands above all other self-acclaimed accolades of DU. The incessant number of forms filled, rounds of interviews and the introductory workshops. Maybe getting into an MNC is easier! Questions like, “Will you be able to sacrifice food, classes, attendance, relationships?” give you a major existential crisis. Sadly sometimes, students dedicate their entire college life for getting into a society, not because they actually want to be in it, but because they want to be a part of the hype. I guess you know which societies we’re thinking about!

 

  • The Election Season

If you felt that Delhi has an aggressive winter season, you never visited DU in the election season. Elections lean more towards littering, unnecessary Bharat Mata Ki Jai chants, brochure distribution and more cancelled classes than the actual purpose of elections, voting and student empowerment. Remember the “koi bhi dikkat ho toh bhai ko batana” (if you face any problem, let your brother know about it) you got from some seniors? It was for this day!

It’s time that DU pulls up its socks. The actual-DU and the glorified-DU are two different worlds! As different as the world we live in and Neverland. Like the cut-offs, even the DU standards should have inflated.

 

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

 

Priyanshi Banerjee

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 Chhavi Bahmba

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A Review: 'God Promise’ by Pratibimb

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A commentary on religion and its impact on the present-day society- this play by Pratibimb deserves a watch. Read the review, and catch a screening soon. Religion is a part of every individual’s identity and, in the Indian context, the framework for the society as well. For centuries, the Indian subcontinent has seen the influx of new religions owing to foreign invasions, trade, and migrations. With the caste system in place, religion has also been used to dictate one’s position in the social atmosphere and to determine one’s social status. Caste and religion have been used to deny access to spaces (social and religious) to members of communities which are considered ‘lower’, and they thus remain marginalised. India is no stranger to religious violence and stereotypes which have found themselves ingrained in religious identity. Having received praise for their previous production on drug addiction called ‘TripT’, the Dramatics Society of Delhi Technological University (DTU)- Pratibimb- is back again with their annual street production titled ‘God Promise’ which explores the concept of religion in the present-day scenario, its relation to identity, its various interpretations, and religion as a ‘tool’ devised by humans, for humans. The play explores multiple scenarios revolving around religion and its societal impact. The most memorable scene from the play, in my perspective, was the build-up in the forest. The actors are seen mimicking voices of animals and birds, and if you’d close your eyes, you might as well confuse it for a real forest. The drum-beats start slow, the birds chirp softly, and an animal is seen lurking in between. He is scared with his eyes frantically search for comfort and familiarity. The drum-beats and the animals’ screeches get louder, and his limbs shake; is he in danger? The drum-beats get faster, the animals launch themselves on him; he is a new prey to their system. Storytelling through street theatre involves the usage of the human body as an instrument, and the play delivers that perfectly. A parallel storyline runs in the play as the audience moves from scene-to-scene with the creation of a zanjeer– a metal chain. Two workers focus on building the zanjeer, and their boss tells them it isn’t heavy enough every single time, until the zanjeer becomes too heavy to lift and needs to be molten down. With brilliant performance by Naman Roy, the zanjeer serves as a metaphor for the concept of religion and the principles of religion. With time, it becomes too heavy for the society and the society crumbles as a result. The story moves fluidly and the role of sound plays in a significantly remarkable fashion throughout the performance. The play ends with narratives of different religions, exploring death, love, and loss, with unity in times of grief and distress, leaving the audience with food for thought. Click here to follow Pratibimb’s Facebook page. Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat Jaishree Kumar [email protected]]]>

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A Review: ‘God Promise’ by Pratibimb

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A commentary on religion and its impact on the present-day society- this play by Pratibimb deserves a watch. Read the review, and catch a screening soon.

Religion is a part of every individual’s identity and, in the Indian context, the framework for the society as well. For centuries, the Indian subcontinent has seen the influx of new religions owing to foreign invasions, trade, and migrations. With the caste system in place, religion has also been used to dictate one’s position in the social atmosphere and to determine one’s social status.

Caste and religion have been used to deny access to spaces (social and religious) to members of communities which are considered ‘lower’, and they thus remain marginalised. India is no stranger to religious violence and stereotypes which have found themselves ingrained in religious identity. Having received praise for their previous production on drug addiction called ‘TripT’, the Dramatics Society of Delhi Technological University (DTU)- Pratibimb- is back again with their annual street production titled ‘God Promise’ which explores the concept of religion in the present-day scenario, its relation to identity, its various interpretations, and religion as a ‘tool’ devised by humans, for humans.

The play explores multiple scenarios revolving around religion and its societal impact. The most memorable scene from the play, in my perspective, was the build-up in the forest. The actors are seen mimicking voices of animals and birds, and if you’d close your eyes, you might as well confuse it for a real forest. The drum-beats start slow, the birds chirp softly, and an animal is seen lurking in between. He is scared with his eyes frantically search for comfort and familiarity. The drum-beats and the animals’ screeches get louder, and his limbs shake; is he in danger? The drum-beats get faster, the animals launch themselves on him; he is a new prey to their system. Storytelling through street theatre involves the usage of the human body as an instrument, and the play delivers that perfectly.
A parallel storyline runs in the play as the audience moves from scene-to-scene with the creation of a zanjeer– a metal chain. Two workers focus on building the zanjeer, and their boss tells them it isn’t heavy enough every single time, until the zanjeer becomes too heavy to lift and needs to be molten down. With brilliant performance by Naman Roy, the zanjeer serves as a metaphor for the concept of religion and the principles of religion. With time, it becomes too heavy for the society and the society crumbles as a result.

The story moves fluidly and the role of sound plays in a significantly remarkable fashion throughout the performance. The play ends with narratives of different religions, exploring death, love, and loss, with unity in times of grief and distress, leaving the audience with food for thought.

Click here to follow Pratibimb’s Facebook page.

Image Credits: Jaishree Kumar for DU Beat

Jaishree Kumar

[email protected]

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Play Review: Old Wives’ Tale

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Old Wives’ Tale by Memesis, the dramatics society of Daulat Ram College, speaks of women empowerment, the making of myths, and ecofeminism.

The University of Delhi’s street theatre and stage plays have prided themselves for the portrayal of thought-provoking and bold theatricals on an array of social and political issues. The all-girls colleges of Delhi University have always championed the cause of female emancipation. Old Wives’ Tale, the latest production of Memesis, the dramatics society of Daulat Ram College, is the newest addition to the ongoing legacy of feminist theatre.

The 45-minute-long production is an adaptation of The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, the first story from the book of the same name authored by film actress and interior designer, Twinkle Khanna. It tells the story of Lakshmi, a common village girl, who in an attempt to increase the independence of women introduces the idea of planting 10 saplings of mango trees every time a girl child is born. The play encompasses many themes such as domestic abuse, dowry, and female foeticide. It also highlights how myths and rituals are created out of old incidents, and end up becoming a part of the same system of oppression against which they had originally rebelled.

The screenplay is written by the students themselves, and showcases proficient stagecraft. The narration of the story floats effortlessly between the past, present, and future. There are several powerful dialogues dotted across the play. The direction and casting choices are well thought out.
Exchanges between Lakshmi, played by Chavi Sagar, and Sukku, played by Manshi Joshi, are delightful, funny, and convincing. While for the most part the performances are believable, at some points, the acting seems forced as well as amateurish, especially during the second half.

The set and the props are beautifully constructed. There are four to five different backdrops, and the transition from one background to another is smooth, but a few seconds too long. The delay in the setup change interrupted the attention of the audience, who were otherwise immersed in the play.

The makeup and costumes hit the bull’s eye and match the aesthetics immaculately. The lighting, managed by Swaranjali Chaudhary, is perfectly timed. In one particular scene, there are three different arrangements on the stage, all complementing each other due to the lightning, which adds beauty to the scene. Palak Soni skillfully handled the music which complements the plot and tone of the play.

Though I’m glad that I got to watch the play for free, I wouldn’t hesitate to spend my money to buy a ticket for a visual treat like this. Go and watch Old Wives’ Tale in the upcoming fest season, as it will definitely be worth your time.

Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat

Niharika Dabral

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DUB Speak

Play Review: A Woman Alone

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Heartbreaking and touching, A Woman Alone by Shilpi Marwaha is a bold description of marital rape and female subjugation.

If you are a feminist who enjoys impactful theatre, then Sukhmanch Theatre Group’s production A Woman Alone is the performance for you. An adaptation of an Italian play by the same name, the act is written by political activists and theatre-makers Dario Fo and Franca Rame.

The play starts with a woman dancing freely and lasciviously to peppy Bollywood songs. Initially, it looks like the protagonist is a happy, confident woman, but soon things become dark. The plot has no sequence of events as such; the story is basically a narration of the oppressed domestic life of a woman. Stuck between a toddler, an abusive husband, a perverted brother-in-law, a stalker, and a blackmailing boyfriend, Sharon (played by Shilpi Marwaha) is in the simplest of terms an oppressed woman. She describes the various facets of her trauma in the form of gossip, storytelling, and comedy.

There are many scenes that vividly document the ugly reality of issues like marital rape and domestic abuse. While these scenes can be triggering and heart wrenching, there are a few reassuring moments where Sharon displays admirable grit and strength.

Watching A Woman Alone is a rollercoaster ride that is both emotionally draining and exhilarating because of the range of emotions it incites within the viewer. The audience is left more clueless, confused, and shocked than they were at the beginning. A Woman Alone is not a play that will provide you with answers; there will be no happy ending, there will be no closure. Sharon’s struggles of being groped, humiliated, harassed, hurt, of having her agency and free will ripped away from her, of blackmail and pain will make you question the kind of world that you live in where women continue to be viewed as properties, conquests, and pieces of flesh. Shilpi Marwaha at the climax of the play is trapped between ropes laden with household objects – bottles, shirts, brooms, clothhes hangers, jugs, and containers. It is a representation of how women today are trapped in what is assumed to be their responsibility towards their households and families.

It is the tale of a woman who was crushed and defeated by society’s hatred for women, hatred of their choices, their sexuality, their desire to grow, their desire to be recognised as people and not as someone’s partner, mother, and daughter.

Shilpi Marwaha has outdone herself in this piece of art that is nothing short of a masterpiece. Her voice, her persona, and her fearless personality all make the play an iconic tale of a woman crushed by the things and people she thought loved her.

Talking to DU Beat after her performance, Marwaha said, “It is a 90-page-long script and for one hour and 10 minutes I have to continuously speak, which is very taxing, not just physically but also mentally.” However, it is evident that this hard work pays off.
Follow Sukhmanch Theatre Group on Facebook for the details of more of their stunning upcoming performances.

 

Image Credits: DU Beat

Kinjal Pandey
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Niharika Dabral
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Play Review: Joothan by LGT Auditorium Repository

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Often times we see that the screen or stage adaptations of classic novels do not do justice to the nuances of the written text, however, director Ishwar Shunya’s “Joothan” based on Omprakash Valmiki’s autobiographical book of the same name recreates the monumental story with equal effect.

Joothan (leftover food from one’s plate that was traditionally eaten by low caste people after they collected the plates of the upper caste folks) chronicles the life and struggles of Omprakash, a “low-caste” boy living in an Uttar Pradesh village during the 1950s.

From early on, the play illustrates the social standing of Churas,a low caste community whose job is to clean toilets, work as labor, tan leather from dead cattle, etc, and establishes how economic deprivation of the untouchables is a result of the caste system. There are numerous moments in the 1 hour 45-minute long drama when the performances will give you goose bumps and the overwhelming feelings of anger, triumph, sadness, and hope.

One of the most powerful scenes in the play is when Omprakash’s mother throws dirty pattals (leaf plates) at a dominant caste patriarch when he humiliates her. Though the play is littered with tragedy, there is a segment which depicts a policeman sodomising a Dalit youth with an iron rod. The vividity of the scene is triggering and particularly disturbing. I almost wished the audience was warned about it.

The dialogues are honest and hard-hitting, with a liberal dose of crass expletives. While the casteist terms such as Chura, Chamaar, and Bhangi were used to portray the brazen abuse of Dalits, a section of the audience laughed each time these terms were uttered. The fact that the audience was seeking comedy in the humiliation of marginalized folks showed insensitivity of urban crowd.

The acting is on point by a superb cast. Abhijeet Singh plays the antagonist Chaudhary and Daroga very convincingly. Rohit Kumar enacts the innocence of young Omprakash with perfection that makes the viewer root for him. Anas Khan personates the adult Omprakash and arrests the attention of everyone.

The live music by Prasoon Narayan, Sachin, Prashant Misra and Raj Kishor made the production stellar. Kabir bhajans such as ‘Ud Ja Hans Akela’ alongside old Bollywood melodies like ‘Pal Pal Dil ke Pass’ serenaded the audience.

Lightning by Sachin Kumar and Badal Singh complimented the impeccable set that was designed by Kanchan Ujjal Singh. There were at least five to six different backdrops and the transition from one background to another was perfectly handled by Tanvi Goel and Manish Kumar. The collective efforts of the cast and crew encapsulated in a long, standing ovation.

Go and watch this LGT Auditorium Repertory production whenever you get a chance, because it will be totally worth it.

Poster by Ishwar Shunya
Poster by Ishwar Shunya

 

Feature Image Credits: Niharika Dabral for DU Beat 

Niharika Dabral

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RAREVIEW: A Film Review

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“Kaam karne ke teen tareeke hote hain – seedha, tedha, ulta. Jab aap seedha kaam karna nahi chahte aur tedha aap karke dekh chuke hain, to bachta hai ek – ulta.” Written and directed by Shobhit Bhatia and Arbab Ahmad, Rareview follows the story of three people trying to fix the rear-view mirror of a friend’s car. Arjun, Sood, and Kunal want to make an entrance to a party. However, they cannot do so in the two-wheeler that they own. Therefore, they decide to borrow a car from their friend’s father. Needless to say, the loan comes with a warning – they have to return the car without a scratch. Murphy’s Law states that, ‘Anything that can go wrong will go wrong’. These three friends find themselves in a similar fix when they meet with a small accident and lose the rear-view mirror of the car. In dire need of assistance, they employ Ranjit, an automobile fixer’s help. Upon discovering that Ranjit himself cannot help them, the four of them then decide to steal it from someone else’s car. In a predictable ending, they manage to return the car unscratched only to find that they were not the ones responsible for losing the rear-view mirror in the first place. Navdeep Maggu as Sood manages to get a few laughs with his hilarious portrayal of a friend who says the wrong things at exactly the wrong time. Dewang Mulani as Kunal and Kshitij Mervin as Arjun make their presence felt on the screen. However, the real show stealer is Shivam Pradhan, portraying the character of Ranjit. He leaves the audience gasping with laughter with his to-the-point acting and witty retorts. Shobhit Bhatia and Arbab Ahmad, alumni of Shunya, the theatre society of Ramjas College, do a surprisingly good job in their first production. The initial few scenes are not fully refined and the transitions between the scenes seem abrupt, but the film quickly picks up the pace. The director’s vision to contrast the scenes of simply whiling away time with the intense scenes of the three friends who have met with an accident fail to come across exactly as they are meant to, perhaps due to amateur editing. The direction could undoubtedly be better but considering the tools and the low cost of production, the audience cannot help but appreciate the film. Without a shadow of doubt, the directors in their first venture as amateur filmmakers leave a mark behind. The one thing I found myself appreciating during this thirty-minute film is its background score which throughout provided the intensity that the scene requires. The fact that Shobhit Bhatia and Arbab Ahmad have tried to get the technical aspects of film-making right is evident while watching the film. It is extremely difficult to get a thirty-minute film made at this level and without any resources. However, one does not realise these hardships because the end result is beautiful. For anyone wishing to spend half an hour laughing with their friends, this short film is a must watch! Check out the trailer to the film here. Feature Image Credits: Anukriti Mishra Anukriti Mishra [email protected]]]>

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Binging on Riverdale: A Review

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Riverdale, a name which brings back memories of the time when we somehow first got our hands on the beloved Archie comics and binged on the famous love triangle between Archiekins, Betty and Veronica, as they sat at Pop Tate’s devouring one milkshake with three straws! The Riverdale we knew paints a very pretty picture of a happy and content town which doesn’t seem to get itself into much trouble, except when it was Jughead eating more burgers than usual!

However, in 2017, most of us are rediscovering a new meaning of the term Riverdale. The new Riverdale still has the same characters, but with a dark past and a seemingly dark future. Now, the Riverdale of our childhood memories is Riverdale, an American teen drama television series based on the characters of Archie comics. The plot of this sitcom gravitates away from how we envision Riverdale and attributes the characters with traits which we do not imagine them ever to possess.

For instance, we grew up knowing this about the Lodges: Veronica and her comically strict father, Hiram Lodge live a lavish life at the Lodge Estates; Hiram is constantly trying to keep Archie and Reggie away from Veronica’s fancy.But now, we are presented with a scenario in which Hiram Lodge is jailed for fraud and embezzlement andVeronica lives with her mom (whom we never knew of), Hermione Lodge.

Archie is the only character in the sitcom that places a sense of similarity with the comic book character, as he is still a ladies’ man trying to juggle his busy life. However, Archie seems to have developed a keen interest in music and wants to keep himself close to his guitar (along with Ms. Grundy!). Betty is still a sweet, smart, eager-to-please and beautiful, with a long time crush on her best friend, Archie. She is tired of being the perfect daughter, student and sister, giving her a hidden personality, which contains itself with anger and resentment against her brittle mother. However, the most interesting character is Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, the narrator of the series. He is a philosophically bent heartthrob, who was once the best friend of Archie. He is shown to still be dealing with the agony of the rift that came between them. His father is the leader of a local motorcycle gang called the Southside Serpents. All hell breaks loose in Riverdale when Jason Blossom is found dead in a lake, right after going boating with his sister, Cheryl Blossom on the 4th of July.

The sitcom features characters like Reggie, Moose, Josie and Dilton Doiley who are placed in personas unlike themselves and in situations which are very hard to decipher. The new Riverdale is a dystopian and dark version of the Riverdale we once knew, and it has everyone eagerly waiting for new development on the existing storyline.

Boy! Are we hooked yet?

 

Image Credits: slashfilm.com

Joyee Bhattacharya
[email protected]

 

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