From Srirangam to Matunga - the timepass tales of Bhushan and Shantaram

Sunday breakfast at Matunga, without fail
Shantaram and Bhushan were brothers from Srirangam and settled at Wadala, Mumbai. As part of their Sunday morning tradition over many decades, since the days they accompanied their father, they would walk up to Sharada Bhavan in Matunga to have their regular order - idli + medu vada sambar, rava masala dosa and filter coffee. It never changed and as ever, the decor and furniture at Sharada Bhavan had remained the same. 
This never-changing tradition and its environs had led to the brothers becoming resistant to any suggestions or need for change in their lives and their work.
Their tradition faced a challenge and an obstacle on one such splendid Sunday. A large group of cricket fans had taken over all the seats in Sharada Bhavan and the old-time regulars were waiting outside. The strong rumor was that the idli-vada sambar and rava masala dosa may run out and the restaurant may not be able to serve them their only choice.
It would not do, said Bhushan, and taking hold of his younger brother's arm, they went inside and stood near the cashier and insisted that they may be allowed to share a table with the youngsters. The cashier knew them for many years and asked for two chairs that were being used as a temporary store inside the kitchen.
Once seated, they were amazed to see that the entire group of young cricket fans was also eating idli + medu vada sambar and rava masala dosa.
It filled Bhushan's heart with joy as he explained to Shantaram, "I am so very happy. Our nation will never have any problem. The younger generation will also prosper and be good. A plate of idli-vada sambar followed by rava masala dosa and steaming strong filter kapi on a Sunday morning at Matunga, and everything is all right with the world!"
[True story... It actually happened...]

[27 May 2019]


Watching Guns of Navarone at Aurora talkies

Bhushan and Shantaram were having a Friday evening argument as usual. Aurora talkies, the cinema theatre at King's Circle was showing "The Guns of Navarone" for the umpteenth time and both the brothers had seen the movie, several times. They were counting off the number of times that they had seen the movie. Bhushan had seen it 10 times and Shantaram had done better, 12, because he had also accompanied their father, Bhashyam, to see the movie at Aurora talkies.
"Better to stay at home and cook ourselves a splendid dinner for Saturday evening," suggested Bhushan.
"No! Let's go and see the movie again," countered Shantaram. "They may not show the movie later, and this may be the last time. I do not want to miss the scene of the boat tossing against the angry waves, and Gregory Peck drinking his cup of coffee in that cool manner. Let's go and see it again."
Bhushan was also reminded of that scene, "cinema history!" as he termed it. No one could better it, even if the movie was remade a hundred times.
Their wives and children had given up on the argument, many years ago, for they knew what would happen. The brothers would surely go for the movie, as they did, to Aurora talkies, every Saturday evening. Sunday mornings were for breakfast at Sharda Bhavan at Matunga, while Saturday evenings were for the 6 to 9 pm show at Aurora. Any movie, Hindi or English or Tamil or the very rare NTR Telugu one.
It was their father, Bhashyam, who closed the argument. "Go and see the 'Guns of Navarone' and get tickets for me also. I will come with you. I want to see Gregory Peck and Anthony Quinn and David Niven. Who knows, the three may not come back in a movie again."

[2 June 2019]

"Nobody else, but Gregory Peck..."

The Guns of Navarone, my grandfather and about reliving the moment...

For my grandfather, born in 1899, and having lived through the first world war and the second world war, the independence movement in India, having seen Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, and later, living through a free India, in the 70s, there was no other hero other than Gregory Peck. Nobody else came up to his stature. As a result, my grandfather took me to see the Guns of Navarone at Aurora theatre in Kings' Circle, sometime in 1975-1976, about three times. And each time, he would keep explaining the story to me inside the theatre, and detailed the finer points of appreciation about Gregory Peck and the movie.

India realised who Dev Anand looked like, when the nation saw Gregory Peck behind the wheels of the fishing boat, in the night storm in the movie, "Guns of Navarone". My grandfather must have pointed out the resemblance at least 2-3 times, each time we saw the movie together. Surprisingly, he had not seen the movie with his sons, my father and his uncle. But later, when I would see the movie again and again, on TV, on video VHS, on VCDs and DVDs, and lately on select clips on YouTube, my father and uncle do not fail in pointing out the resemblance in looks and similarity in style.

I miss my grandfather and his keen interest in movies, and an almost ecumenical eclecticism in his appreciation of Gregory Peck. He never appreciated "Roman Holiday" or Audrey Hepburn, though my father and uncle and myself, are diehard fans of the movie. My grandfather felt that Audrey Hepburn stole the limelight and Gregory Peck should have been smarter.

There is a scene in the "Guns of Navarone", where Gregory Peck as Mallory is at the steering wheel of the fishing boat in a heavy storm. Its night, and the rain is heavy and the boat is tilting and heaving at the wind. Gregory Peck is shown, cool as steel, and drinking coffee with a wry smile. My grandfather loved that scene. He never failed to point out the style and the mannerism of Gregory Peck during that scene. As a result, I point out the same nuances to whosoever is sitting next to me while watching the movie again and again.

It was perhaps one of the biggest disappointments to my grandfather that "Force 10 from Navarone" was made without Gregory Peck. He condemned Harrison Ford and said that he would not go too far in Hollywood. That was a classic for me, to later watch the growth of Harrison Ford and the emergence of a new super star. Perhaps Gregory Peck felt the same, knowing that he was not starring in Force 10 from Navarone.

There is a good tribute to Gregory Peck at http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=13582 and I enjoy reading the pages at this link.

I could not help but borrow photographs of Gregory Peck in Guns of Navarone from these pages. I thank the authors of these pages for the splendid work put in by them in developing such a splendid tribute to Gregory Peck.

There is also a good blog about the movie - "The Guns of Navarone" at http://moviedearest.blogspot.com/2007/08/movie-moments-guns-of-navarone.html

This blog has a classic photograph of Gregory Peck. I thank the authors of this blog.

From the Guns of Navarone to Roman Holiday

And then, came along Roman Holiday. I am not sure of which movie actually preceded which one, but in Mumbai, Bombay at those times, Roman Holiday followed the Guns of Navarone. While we watched Guns of Navarone again and again at Aurora Theatre, at Kings Circle, the Roman Holiday was best to watch at Regal Cinema near the Gateway of India.

And the best show to watch Roman Holiday was 9 to 12 pm at Regal Cinema on a Saturday night. My grandfather did not appreciate the movie, as I said earlier, because Audrey Hepburn seemed to shadow over Gregory Peck. But, by then, my father and his brother, were diehard fans of the movie. And of course, I went with them to watch the movie.

It was the most fascinating experience. All the old-aged parsi ladies in their finest from Colaba to Kalbadevi to all the other locations seemed to have come to watch the movie. They would laugh loudly when the happy sequences were being shown, and how they cried when Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn separated. They began to cry visibly when the scence showing Audrey Hepburn as the Princess was shown and Gregory Peck is a visiting journalist in the queue.

One lady began to scold Audrey Hepburn from the audience. She was almost insisting with Audrey Hepburn to accept Gregory Peck, as though the movie would suddenly change and the script would take on her idea.

http://rtmulcahy.wordpress.com/ presents a beautiful short essay about Roman Holiday and a personal experience in watching the movie. I am sure there must be several such essays on the net already. There is one splendid photograph on this blog page... for all those who have seen this movie, this shot will certainly give you the tremors...