Understanding sources

When you pick up a newspaper to read or flip through news channels, the process of churning out the words you see might not seem very obvious. However, if you look closely, you will notice that it is not that difficult to understand the source of the news you are consuming. Sometimes, it is blatant and in your face, while at other instances, it might be camouflaged — nonetheless, here are a few pointers that might help you understand news sources and the challenges they come riddled with.

Reports and statistics

More often than not, statistical news stories are based on research reports of certain private, non-profit or government organisations. These articles belong to news categories like education, civic, environment, health and crime. It is very easy to spot these — the name of the organisation will be clearly mentioned along with at least one quote from a spokesperson associated with the research. To give the article some depth, the reporter is likely to have a few more experts speaking about the findings. They may also include similar reports to give a balanced, well-researched feel to the article. Usually, such stories have the same basic statistics as these reports are sent out to all news organisations. The challenge for the reporter here is to get a unique story from the data that is available to many of their peers.

Legal hassles

A legal reporter usually has all possible Indian Penal Code sections and courtroom details memorised. They repeatedly go through websites to keep tabs on the online release of order papers of interesting cases. This is one of their biggest sources. However, how to know which case is worth writing on? Apart from attending hearings and hanging out on court premises, they keep in touch with lawyers. A regular legal copy includes judgement notes and lawyer quotes. In case the latter is present, a good guess is that the lawyer was the source. However, there is no guarantee of the same. Another source of legal stories are the crime and civic stories (and reporters) — so the legal story is essentially a follow-up. Remember, the news never happens in isolation. One of the biggest challenges for legal reporters is that its difficult for them to churn out stories from different courtrooms at the same time and sometimes they have to take the word of those who were present, in their absence, and be sure to not make a mistake for it would be a blunder to misquote a judge.

Crime and lives

Police personnel have perhaps always been a source of crime stories. This practice has two functional uses — people come to know about the wrong happenings in their neighbourhood and that their faith in the system stays put. With social media, crime stories have become slightly easier to find.  However, the person behind the message or post in question may not be trustworthy. Here, the identity of the people involved in the crime also comes into the picture, which has to be kept hidden by the traditional media, according to the ethics that govern their working. Every reporter knows that they must verify the information through multiple sources before they take a story forward. However, the need to be the first to break the story is definitely a greater challenge as the source in this case too has the power to tell their story firsthand. Yes, that could be you. Remember to use it well, okay?

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Jagruti Verma
With a little experience of feature writing and subbing on her resume, Jagruti strives to get better with each piece of writing she works on. You can connect with her on Twitter at @JagrutiVerma

You don’t destroy something you love

Standing tall at the northern end of our country are the mighty mammoths that have been serving us since the day they were formed. A blessing indeed, these mountains have contributed immensely to our well-being by making the country rich in biodiversity, wildlife, green cover and water supply. They have also helped locals thrive on tourism and other related activities. 

Over time, Bollywood welcomed them with open arms and romanticised their mysterious features to promote them as vacation destinations. From Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat in 1949 and Yash Chopra’s Silsila in 1976 to Ayan Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani in 2013, all have been shot around the scenic beauty of the mountain, immortalising the essence of the Himalayas. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is probably that one movie which has arguably played the biggest role in romanticising trekking and travelling for today’s youth. Every second person today wants to be like Bunny, as played by Ranbir Kapoor. (A little exaggeration is acceptable here!) The movie has been successful in fuelling the desire to be a traveller. (With a hashtag, of course!) You could blame it on the selling powers of the movie, but must not forget that we happily, conveniently accepted the image too! However, there is another side to this story, which deserves to be told. 

A few months ago, I went to a photography workshop at an esteemed college where the photographer seemed to concentrate more on his travel themes pictures than teaching the techniques. The workshop turned out to be not so useful for me but brought in the realisation that every experience in life opens up a new door for you. A group of young photography enthusiasts sat around me, fascinated with the idea of visiting the mountains. Their faces did all the talking. A few conversations later, I realised that most of my fellow humans in the room seemed to be more interested in clicking good pictures with the intention of gaining more number of followers on social media. Two major reasons for the same were found to be creating a market space

for their business and to simply boosting their ego.

I soon realised that the well-being of the mountains was not only being neglected but was not being taken into consideration at all. The movies had made a good amount of money by selling the ‘dream job’ idea to the youth, perfect romantic destination to the couples and solace for the rest, but had failed to raise an important issue at hand — the deteriorating state of the Eco-sensitive zones of the Himalayas. 

During my recent visit to the Himalayas, I found how the pristine beauty of the area was being marred by pollution and heaps of garbage. Though I woke every day to the beautiful snow-peaked mountains above, disappointment engulfed me every time I lowered my eyes. All I could see were plastic bags and bottles. Behind hotels, I spotted garbage finding its way to the Sutlej River with rainwater. 

The workshop I told you about earlier? I got the opportunity to visit the location where the photographer had clicked the best of what was on display. I wish I didn’t. It was the worst shock I have felt to date — a part of the trek that no movie of photographer would talk about. 

The number of tents and vehicles parked in the meadow disturbed me. Roughly 40 tents were erected in an area of four square kilometres for around 100 people to camp in the night. At this point, all I could think of was the years it would take for decomposing the trash they would generate — that too at this altitude! Not to mention the contamination of the nearby fresh water. 

As the sun went down, I could hear loud music emanating from the campsite, disturbing the tranquillity of the space. It seemed like a wedding ceremony was being held. To add to this, I could only imagine the expectations the guests must have regarding the food being served. Cooking food at such a high altitude is difficult! As the music blared through the night, I wondered if the animals around too were awake, giving me company. 

Upon my interaction with a local, I learnt that shooting a movie there was an unnecessary extravaganza that came at a cost to the environment. He further explained that a considerable amount of shooting material is often dumped at the site after the shoot. He said, “Nobody cares to clean up their mess. Later, we clear the garbage as we fear the cattle would feed on it.” If the locals stopped clearing such trash, it would probably rot for there for years to come.

Furious I wondered if restricting trekking and travelling was a solution to the issue. However, it didn’t seem like a viable one. After thinking a while, I realised there was a pretty simple solution — you. If you and I could become aware of and feel a sense of ownership and love for the environment, the situation could be altered. I strongly believe that if the mountains are only a way for you to enhance your image online or for other commercial gains, you don’t love them. They are, in such a case, just a way for you to get social acceptance. 

Astrophysicist Hubert Reeves once said, “Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this nature he’s destroying is this God he’s worshipping.” I came home from the trip wondering if it’s too late for us to do anything and realised that it was worth the efforts either way. All we had to do was begin. 

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Gourvi Srivastava
A writer, photographer, artist, animal lover, pseudo drummer and full-time tripper, Gourvi is here to take you onto a thought-provoking world. If not doing these things, you’ll find her sipping coffee with people who inspire. Instagram: @gourvi_explores

Infinities and more

The man who tried leaping beyond the infinities of time and space, Dr Stephen Hawking is no more. Challenging the dynamics of nature and the creation of the universe, he spent years working extensively to uncover the mysteries of space, time and black holes. His death is no doubt an indefinite loss to the world. He brought milestones to the field of science with his work in cosmology and quantum mechanics. Minimal movement of the body was never a deterrent for him while coming up with a new way for the world to imagine black holes. Isn’t his brilliance fascinating? For us, he will always be an inspiration and an epitome of what you can achieve, the day you refuse to give up in the face of adversities.

A lot happened for the theoretical physicist in the decades between A brief history of time (1988) to A briefer history of time (2005). He was extensively covered in the media, who christened him as the ‘Master of the Universe’.

“If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God,” he once said. 

Hawking was known for possessing a savage sense of humour and sarcasm. It could be felt in his interviews with the media and interactions at conferences. “Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny,” he once said in an interview. In another interview, with comedian and television host John Oliver, Hawking was asked if there were a universe where Oliver was smarter than Hawking. To this, the scientist had simply said, “Yes, and also a universe where you’re funny.” His witty aura could be seen in the occasional appearances he made on Big Bang Theory, much to Sheldon Cooper’s (and our) delight! In one such episode, Hawking had even boasted of having appeared in the popular show, The Simpsons. One of the memorable episodes in the series is when he saves the character of Lisa from a mob using his flying chair. 

As the world mourns the loss of modern science’s star, the universe gains one for its own. In the brief history of time, you will have a space for eternity. The books on our shelves will keep reminding us of your brilliance. Rest in peace, funny man!

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Kedar Koli
Love for the language drew him to English Literature, which he graduated in. Thirst for the knowledge brought him to Journalism which he currently is pursuing! You can connect with him on Twitter at @kolikedar09

An old companion

Bappu! Bappu! I called twice but in vain. He was standing on our front porch eagerly looking at the road. I called him once again to remind him of his morning tea, which was getting cold. He loves sipping the hot beverage while going through the daily newspaper. However, today was different. Always calm and patient, my grandfather looked restless. Carrying his tea towards him, I said, “Bappu, it’s okay if you don’t get to read the newspaper today, either way, you get all the news updates on TV a day before. What’s the big deal? Have some tea and relax.”

He looked at me as if I had lost my mind, his eyes pitying me. With a sigh, he said, “You won’t understand it, Beni.” “Then make me understand,” I demanded with a challenge in my tone. 

Settling down to savour his drink, he said, “When I started reading newspapers I was in 3rd or 4th grade. My grandma could not read or write, so I became her aid. Every evening after school, she would make me sit with her and read the newspaper out loud. She was a curious woman, excited and ever so eager to learn about the world.

But she would not just listen to what I read, she often questioned me about the content and for the things I could not answer, she made sure that I asked my teachers the next day. This daily ritual not only cultivated a healthy reading habit in me but also made me a curious and socially aware person.” 

“But now you don’t have read out to your grandma and there is no need to wait until the next morning for the news updates. Then why are you so anxious?” 

With a patient tone of a teacher used to questions, Bappu answered, “It’s not just about news anymore. Your generation doesn’t have the patience to sit down and go through an entire paper. Newspaper these days are full of interesting information on different topics. Back in the day, it was just full of important news items, most of which were about politics and economy. Today, newspapers have assembled and reliable information. Right from politics and entertainment to household and literature, everything is presented in an intriguing manner, often written by experts. Just a few days ago, I read about child psychology and how to have a healthy parent-child communication in a column by a renowned psychologist. There was no such thing in my days. 

Being a budding journalist, I hesitantly put forth my concerns in the form of a question to him. “Do you believe that newspapers are reliable these days? In this era of paid news and scripted debates, do you still believe in newspapers being authentic?” 

Amused, he said, “Always remember, words that are spoken can be forgotten but the ones that are written, live forever. Newspapers can be bought by money or be influenced with political affiliations, but the degree of its impact will always be less in comparison to the electronic media. I feel newspapers cannot alter news reports or rather, they can’t afford to do so, or else they might end up losing their loyal readership. That’s the reason I still believe in newspapers.” 

Glad that not all hope is lost in regard to print media, I started to get up. Just as I was heading inside, the newspaper boy dropped off the paper on our porch and waved to Bappu. With a childlike glee in his eyes, Bappu said, “And Beni, newspapers today are very colourful and come with a lot of pictures too! It’s all the more fun to read them now!”

I proceeded to go back inside and left the old man alone to relish the day’s delight.

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Written by Ekta Patil, student, Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mumbai

Sabya Ke Sapne

Swaying under the Tuscan sun as her delicate vintage pale lehenga made millions around the country sigh. The pearls and beads embedded on the fabric managed to not just enchant but be an inspiration to many future brides. As the Sharma-Kohli couple vowed to be happy together, initially on Twitter and then on every possible internet portal, we were busy noting down the intricate details of the lehenga of the bride, Anushka ‘oh-she-looked-so-pretty’ Sharma.

When the pictures spread across news channels with anchors discussing the many details of the wedding and then on the front page of most newspapers, we wondered out loud if the creator of the beautiful was being credited enough. We didn’t have to wait a lot though — Sabyasachi, the brand, was quick to take it upon itself to list down the many details of what it took to make the bride look her best on the big day. Every look was dissected and explained.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee is not a new name in the fashion industry or even bridal wear if we were to be specific. He is known for fulfilling the ‘ideal bride dream’ through Band Baajaa Bride, a television series on NDTV Good Times. Be it Nousheen Zeba or Amruta Patki, every bride-to-be on the show was a testament to how Sabyasachi could add the glamour to a wedding.

The wedding based show, however, is not limited to clothing. It gives a wholesome insight into wedding styling — a really expensive affair. Partnering with Lakme for makeup and TBZ for jewellery, before coming out with their own, the show helped create a fairytale image of a ‘Sabyasachi Bride’.

However, there is a slight glitch in the tale — the price tag that comes with the dream. Picking a Sabyasachi outfit is likely to drain lakhs from the wedding budget. So, what is it about the designer that many women still choose to aspire to wear the label someday? When we asked a few girls in early twenties, we came to know that they feel the designs produced by Sabyasachi are classy and fresh, with a unique touch of style. Of the thirteen girls we talked to, three felt price was not an issue as they gave preference to design and style while choosing the brand. Six felt the outfit was impossible to buy because of the costs involved. Others felt it depends on design and variety.

Known to be super active on Instagram, Sabyasachi uses the platform to perfection. Right from providing the description about the fabric used to mentioning the era to which it belongs, the brand has managed to gain 2.2 million followers. The picture formats used to display the various collections are intriguing and interesting to learn.

We love the way the brand uses split pictures to give a larger than life perspective to the audiences. One of the challenges in implementing this is serving the followers incomplete images in one post — this can either make them visit them the page or unfollow it. The smart way used by the brand is to use multiple image options to make up for it.

Though the brand is known for its bridal wear, a simple scroll through their Instagram would tell you that they make beautiful menswear as well!

Sabyasachi started his career within a few months of Graduating from National Institute of Fashion & Technology in 1999. The Bengali babu from Kolkata went on to win Femina British Council’s Most Outstanding Young Designer of India Award in 2001. Not just in creating outfits, Sabya also displayed his art by using unbleached and hand-woven fabrics using Kantha and other hand embroideries in his collection ‘Kora’ at Lakme Fashion Week 2003. He has, no doubt, come a long way from being a fashion student. We appreciate his art just as much as we look up to him for lessons in branding — right from creating a popular bridal show to using celebrities to add value to the brand — we sure are fans!

Lakme Fashion Week is a big event, covered by all major media outlets in the city. One of the highlights of the event is the show by Sabyasachi. He sure knows how to make headlines, making a visibly pregnant Kareena Kapoor walk the ramp in a stunning silver outfit in 2016 definitely did.

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Tanmayi Savadi
Tanmayi Savadi is currently pursuing her Masters of Arts in Communication and Journalism from the University of Mumbai. She is a Mumbai based artist, animator, baker and journalist. Majorly, her interest lies in entertainment and lifestyle journalism.

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Anamika Dutta
Anamika is a former English Literature student who is currently pursuing masters in communication and journalism. In her free time, she loves to scribble on her blog, capture memories through the lens and roam around and reign in the world of fiction.

Make it happen: Shooting a documentary

Surreal. If I had to define my experience of celebrating Holi with the Koli community of Worli Koliwada, the word would be surreal. Though I had gone home for the festivities, the project’s description brought me to Mumbai a few days ago and under the guidance of our HOD and his immense knowledge on the Koli culture, we set out on a mission to capture it all. However, when your group of 15 narrows down to 3 at the last minute — things can go two ways. Fortunately, for us, things turned exciting. Looking at the narrow street of the Koliwada through my 3-inch camera screen and capturing it all was pure bliss.

When we hear the word Holi, we get an image of colours flying in the air and people playing with water. However, Koli Holi is not just a visual treat but an overwhelming, warm experience you mustn’t miss! While praying for calm waters and a good catch, the community members welcome you as their own, as if they have known you for years! Not even for a second did we feel like an outsider.

Upon reaching the Koliwada, I felt like I was not in Bombay anymore. This was another Mumbai inside the heart of Bombay. The contrast of the shanties fading into the high rise buildings was amazing. You could just see it in their eyes that they wanted us to know more about their festival. Many of the people don’t know about the history of the rituals but they still celebrate it with faith following their old traditions. Many of the rituals have been modernised over the years.

The entire Koliwada is decorated for the celebration with rangoli and huge, decked up tree branches standing vertically around in every lane. It is all very calm in the beginning but as the preparations begin, the whole place jumps into a frenzy, working like machines, transforming the whole place in minutes.

While researching online about the subject, I could only find videos of people dancing to electronic music and the first impression was maybe this is all that there is to this festival. However, what I witnessed was much more. With so much going on in every lane, I got the opportunity to capture the many untouched aspects of the festival.

I have said this before and it’s never going to change, “Shooting a documentary is never easy.” The three most important things you need for shooting a film are lights, camera (cameras if you are lucky) and sound recording equipment. Now, since we were down to just one camera to cover various events happening in different ends of the Koliwada, we had to keep running from one end to another, all the while fearing to miss out on some important visual. We were constantly talking to people and keeping tabs on their schedules.

We did not have any lighting equipment. So, while shooting during the day where there was the abundance of natural light was fine, but as time went by and the lights changed dramatically, new challenges came up. We didn’t face much trouble in shooting the areas where people gathered to burn Holi as they were well lit. However, when at night, during a particular ritual where women were carrying earthen pots on their heads while walking along the narrow lanes, lighting posed an issue. The lanes were very dimly lit and we couldn’t have used any of the surrounding lights for any of those run and gunshots so we just relied on the camera and bumped up the ISO, praying that the footage doesn’t turn out grainy. Using the light of the diyas in the pots was a plus — but had to be done smartly.

Though a film is a visual medium, the role of sound is just as much important. It can make or break a film. In documentaries, at least two basic sounds are required, one being the ambience and the other being the voices of the people being interviewed. Both of these require two different microphones to record them. An omnidirectional one for the ambience and a unidirectional one for the interviews and by God’s grace, we had none. We had to completely rely on the camera’s inbuilt microphone to capture all the sounds.

The entire documentary was shot on a Sony a6000 mirrorless camera and 16-55 mm kit lens that comes along with it because it was the only lens we had on us.

The only regret I have after looking at all the footage is that we could not get a perfect shot of the burning tree branch which is the most important thing about the celebration.

Yes, we did manage to get shots where the audience gets to know what is happening but I wanted to capture it from a lot of different angles, which I couldn’t because the crowd had accumulated around it and people were constantly bumping into me which is not at all good for a guy who has a rolling camera in his hands. The finals shot for the day was shot at just 1% of battery remaining, despite charging it at every possible opportunity — it’s amazing how people were forthcoming about letting us inside their homes.

I am falling short of adjectives to describe my experience in the Koliwada. Witnessing a celebration like this is truly surreal indeed. We didn’t just take home shots that we captured but memories and new relationships. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our department and my partners in crime Ashwin and Jagruti.

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Nishant Nirvana

With a keen interest in filmmaking, Nishant has worked on many short films as the DOP and Editor. He aspires to become a film director. Currently, he is a film studies student at the Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mumbai.

चित्रपट वाढतायत पण यश?

भारतात चित्रपट निर्मितीची सुरुवात दादासाहेब फाळके या मराठी माणसाने 3 मे 1913 रोजी ‘राजा हरीश्चंद्र’ या चित्रपटाद्वारे केली. अथक परिश्रम आणि चिकाटीने दादासाहेबांनी ज्या माध्यमावर फक्त पाश्च्यात्य लोकांचं अधिराज्य होतं ते क्षेत्र आत्मसात करुन त्याची ओळख आपल्या भारत देशाला करुन दिली. त्यानंतर कालानुरुप चित्रपट माध्यमात बदल होत गेले. परंतु तरीही विषयाचे नाविन्य जपणं आणि आशयघन चित्रपटांची निर्मिती करणं ही मराठी चित्रपटांची वैविध्यपूर्ण बाजू दिसून येते. परंतु एक प्रेक्षक म्हणून आज 21 व्या शतकाच्या उंबरठ्यावर असताना मराठी चित्रपटांबाबतीतले व्यावसायिक अपयश मात्र डोळ्यांना खुपणारे आहे. एकीकडे चित्रपट वाढत असताना त्याचे व्यावसायिक यश मात्र दिसून येत नाही यामागची कारणे शोधण्याचा प्रयत्न करण्याची गरज आहे.

आज मराठी चित्रपट तंत्रज्ञानाच्या  बाबतीत सकस आणि दर्जेदार झाला आहे. अनेक तरुण आणि अभ्यासू दिग्दर्शक आज वैविध्यपूर्ण विषय मराठी चित्रपटांमध्ये हाताळत आहेत. अनेक जागतिक चित्रपटांमध्ये मराठी चित्रपट स्वतःचा ठसा उमटवत आहेत. तरीही तिकीटबारीवर पैसे कमावण्यात मराठी चित्रपट कमी पडत आहे. 

Zee ने ‘साडे माडे तीन’ या चित्रपटापासून चित्रपट निर्मितीत उतरायचं ठरवलं. मराठी चित्रपटविश्वाला त्यामुळे ऐतिहासीक कलाटणी मिळाली. सद्यस्थितीत मराठीत अनेक गाजलेल्या चित्रपटांमध्ये Zee चं नाव अग्रक्रमाने येतं. मग तो ‘दुनियादारी’ असो किंवा ‘सैराट’. त्यामुळे Zee चा चित्रपट प्रदर्शित होणार असेल तर त्याची एक दोन महिने आधीपासूनच जोरात प्रमोशन सुरु होतं. याचा फायदा त्या चित्रपटांना सुद्धा होतो. परंतु हे चित्र इतर चित्रपटांच्या बाबतीत मात्र दिसत नाही. हिंदीतल्या अनेक प्रथितयश असामींनी उदा.संजय लीला भन्साली, एकता कपूर यांनी अनुक्रमे ‘लाल इश्क’, ‘ता-यांचे बेट’ सारख्या चित्रपटांची निर्मिती केली. परंतु या चित्रपटांना मात्र प्रेक्षकांचा प्रतिसाद कमी मिळाला. काही मोठ्या बॅनरचा अपवाद वगळला तर हिंदीच्या तुलनेत मराठी चित्रपटांचं प्रमोशन तितकंसं होताना दिसत नाही.

एकंदर मराठी चित्रपटांच्या परिस्थितीबाबत बोलताना दिग्दर्शक, अभिनेते महेश मांजरेकर यांनी एका मुलाखतीत वक्तव्य केलं होतं की, “सैराट चालला हे चांगलंय. पण त्याचबरोबर किती चित्रपट नाही चालले हे कोणीच बघत नाही. ‘याचा विचार केल्यास असे दिसून येते की सैराटने विक्रमी कमाई बाॅक्स ऑफीस वर केली. परंतु त्याच वर्षी ‘सैराट’ सोबत पुढे मागे आलेले ‘पोश्टर गर्ल’, ‘YZ’ यांसारखे चित्रपट चांगले असूनही त्यांना व्यावसायिक यश मिळवता आलं नाही. त्याचबरोबर ‘सैराट’ नंतर त्याच पठडीतले ‘रांजण’ सारखे चित्रपट आले. परंतु असे चित्रपट प्रेक्षकांपर्यंत पोहोचलेच नाहीत. किंवा विषयात नाविन्य नसल्याने प्रेक्षकांनी त्याकडे पाठ फिरवली.”

मराठी सिनेसृष्टीत काहीवेळेस दोन मोठ्या चित्रपटांची सुद्धा टक्कर होते. उदा. ‘मुंबई-पुणे-मुंबई 2’ आणि ‘कट्यार काळजात घुसली’. तसेच 2017 साली आलेले ‘जाउंद्या ना बाळासाहेब!’ आणि ‘फॅमिली कट्टा’. असे दोन मोठे चित्रपट एकाचवेळी प्रदर्शित झाल्याने चित्रपटाचे व्यावसायिक गणित बिघडले. मराठी सिनेविश्वात चित्रपटाची संख्या वाढली आहे हे चांगलं असलं तरी निर्मात्यांमध्ये संगनमत असेल तर चित्रपट व्यावसायिकरित्या यशस्वी होण्यास मदत होऊ शकते.

चित्रपटाचे निर्माता हा चित्रपटांचा आधारस्तंभ असतो. परंतु जेव्हा दोन मोठे सिनेमे एकमेकांसमोर एकाच तारखेला प्रदर्शित होतात तेव्हा निर्मात्यांमध्ये संगनमत असणं हे चित्रपटासाठी फायदेशीर असतं. यासाठी नुकत्याच प्रदर्शित झालेल्या ‘पद्मावत’ आणि ‘पॅडमॅन’ या  हिंदीमधल्या दोन सिनेमांकडे बघता येईल. पॅडमॅन ची प्रदर्शनाची तारीख 26 जानेवारी ही ठरलेली होती. पद्मावत सुद्धा त्याच्या आधी नियोजीत तारखेला प्रदर्शित होणार होता. परंतु देशभरात झालेली हिंसात्मक निदर्शनं आणि सेन्साॅर या कचाट्यात सापडलेला पद्मावत नियोजीत तारखेला प्रदर्शित होऊ शकला नाही त्यामुळे निर्मात्यांनी पद्मावत 26 जानेवारीला प्रदर्शित करायचा ठरवला. आता दोन मोठे सिनेमे एकाच दिवशी प्रदर्शित होणार होते. त्यामुळे व्यावसायिक तोट्याचा संभाव्य धोका ओळखून संजय लीला भन्साली (पद्मावत) आणि अक्षय कुमार (पॅडमॅन) यांनी पत्रकार परिषद घेतली. या पत्रकार परिषदेत संगनमताने अक्षय कुमारने पॅडमॅन ची प्रदर्शनाची तारीख पुढे ढकलली आणि पद्मावत साठी प्रदर्शनाची वाट आणखी सुकर बनवली. तुलनेने मराठी सिनेमात निर्मात्यांमध्ये आणि कलाकारांमध्ये याच संगनमताचा अभाव असलेला दिसून येतो. त्यामुळे जेव्हा दोन मोठे मराठी चित्रपट एकमेकांसमोर उभे ठाकतात तेव्हा कोणत्या तरी एका चित्रपटाला किंवा दोघांनाही व्यावसायिक अपयशाला सामोरे जावे लागते. त्यामुळे चित्रपट प्रेक्षकांपर्यंत पोहचत नाही आणि निर्मात्याला सुद्धा आर्थिक नुकसान सहन करावे लागते. आज हिंदी चित्रपटसृष्टी देशभर फोफावत चालली आहे. ज्या मराठी माणसाने या चित्रपट माध्यमाची ओळख देशाला करुन दिली याच चित्रपटमाध्यमात आज हिंदी सिनेसृष्टी देशात वरचढ ठरली आहे.

त्यामुळे हिंदीशी सुद्धा स्पर्धा ओघाने येते. कारण आज महाराष्ट्रात तिकीट दर जास्त असले तरी मराठी माणूस हिंदी चित्रपट पाहण्याला पहिलं प्राधान्य देतो.

कारण हिंदीतला चकचकीतपणा आणि कलाकारांची लोकप्रियता ही सर्वश्रृत असते. परंतु तुलनेने मराठीत मात्र आज असा एकही कलाकार नाही जो स्वतःच्या नावावर चित्रपट यशस्वी करुन दाखवेल. त्यामुळेच मराठी चित्रपटसृष्टी ही आशयघन असली तरीही ही दुखरी बाजू सर्वांसमोर उघड आहे. अंकुश चौधरीच्या ‘देवा’ या चित्रपटाला सलमानच्या ‘टायगर जिंदा है’ मुळे चित्रपटगृह फारच कमी मिळाले. यावेळी राजकीय नेत्यांनी पुढे येऊन आंदोलन करुन ‘देवा’ला चित्रपटगृह मिळवून दिले. परंतु याबाबतीत मात्र कलाकारांची उदासीनता पहायला मिळते.

एकदा शूटींग संपलं की आपलं काम झालं या भावनेने बहुतेक मराठी कलाकार काम करत असतात. अशावेळी स्वतः कलाकारांनी पुढे येऊन चित्रपट प्रेक्षकांपर्यंत पोहोचवला पाहीजे. शहरी भागाबरोबरच ग्रामीण प्रेक्षकांपर्यंत चित्रपट पोहोचला तरच मराठी चित्रपटाच्या कक्षा विस्तारतील आणि प्रेक्षकांमध्ये मराठी चित्रपटांबाबत विश्वासार्ह्यता जपली जाईल.

‘अद्भुत’ या यू-ट्यूब चॅनलवर एका कार्यक्रमात चित्रपट दिग्दर्शक आदित्य सरपोतदार यांनी वक्तव्य केलं की, “मराठी सिनेमा कोणत्या ठिकाणी कसा चालतो आहे हे पहाणं सुद्धा आवश्यक आहे. पुण्यात कोणता सिनेमा चालतोय,सांगलीत कोणता चालतोय याचं निरीक्षण करणं गरजेचं आहे.” या वक्तव्याप्रमाणे निर्मात्यांनी ठराविक भागातल्या प्रेक्षकांचा विचार करुन सिनेमाचं योग्य प्रकारे वितरण करणं हे व्यावसायिकदृष्ट्या तितकंच महत्वाचं आहे. आज मुंबईमध्ये ‘भारतमाता’ सारख्या चित्रपटगृहात फक्त मराठी चित्रपटांचे शो दाखवण्यात येतात.परंतु तरीही वर्षभर हाताच्या बोटावर मोजण्याइतके चित्रपट सोडल्यास तिकीटबारीवर शुकशुकाट असतो. मोबाईलमुळे सर्व काही ऑनलाईन पहायची सोय आपल्याला मिळालीय. त्यामुळे ‘चित्रपट नेटवर कधी येतोय? तसेच टी.व्ही.वर कधी आहे?’ अशी मानसिकता प्रेक्षकांची आहे.त्यामुळे मराठी प्रेक्षक चित्रपटगृहांमध्ये खेचले जातील हे उद्दिष्टय डोळ्यासमोर ठेऊन प्रामाणिकपणे उत्तम मनोरंजनात्मक  चित्रपट बनवण्याकडे दिग्दर्शक, निर्मात्यांचा कल असला पाहीजे.पूर्वी दादा कोंडके यांच्या चित्रपटांना खूप मोठी रांग असायची असं सांगण्यात येते. तसेच अलीकडे ‘मी शिवाजीराजे भोसले बोलतोय’, ‘दुनियादारी’, ‘सैराट’, ‘फास्टर फेणे’ यांसारख्या चित्रपटांबाबतीत ही परिस्थिती दिसून आली. याचे प्रमाण दिवसेंदिवस वाढले पाहीजे. मराठी चित्रपट आणि नाटकांसाठी समृद्ध असा प्रेक्षकवर्ग आहे. मराठी माणूस हा चोखंदळ रसिक प्रेक्षक मानण्यात येतो. त्यामुळेच बदलणाया पिढीचा, बदलणाया

संस्कृतीचा एकूणच अंदाज घेऊन त्याचा अंश चित्रपटांत आणणं हे दिग्दर्शकांसाठी एक मोठं आव्हान आहे. कारण प्रेक्षकांची अभिरुची बदलत चाललीय. त्यामुळे त्यांची आवड जपून मनोरंजन देणं आणि मनोरंजन देता देता किंचीत त्यांच्या डोळ्यात अंजन घालण्याची जबाबदारी आता चित्रपटकर्त्यांवर आहे. तरच मराठी चित्रपट या युवा वर्गाला भावेल, भिडेल आणि आवडेल. यातूनच चित्रपटांना यश मिळत जाईल.

यामुळे, दादासाहेब फाळकेंचा वसा घेतलेली आजची मराठी सिनेसृष्टी ही भारतात नाही तर जगभरात स्वतःचा ठसा उमटवेल. तसेच मराठी चित्रपट हा व्यावसायिकदृष्ट्या यशस्वी होईलच शिवाय तो लोकप्रियतेच्या शिखरावर पोहचेल.

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देवेंद्र जाधव
पत्रकारिता क्षेत्रात अनुभव मिळविण्याचा देवेंद्रचा प्रयत्न असून मराठी साहित्याचा तो विद्यार्थी आहे. माणसांचं निरीक्षण करून त्यांचा स्वभाव जाणून घेण्याची त्याला आवड आहे. त्याचबरोबर विविध विषयांवर लिहिण्याचा त्याला छंद आहे.

बालनाट्यातील ‘मधुरमंजिरी’ सुधा करमरकर

बालनाट्य चळवळीच्या प्रणेत्या आणि खऱ्या अर्थाने बालनाट्याला व्यासपीठ उपलब्ध करून देणाऱ्या सुधाताई करमरकर यांचे अलीकडेच निधन झाले. त्यांना टीम रिव्हॉल्व्हरची भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली!

सुधा करमरकर यांनी ‘मुंबई मराठी साहित्य संघा’च्या सहकार्याने १९५९ मध्ये ‘लिटिल थिएटर’ची स्थापना केली होती. मुंबईत १९५९ साली सुधा करमरकर यांनी साहित्य संघाच्या सहकार्याने रत्नाकर मतकरी लिखित ‘मधुमंजिरी’या बालनाट्याची निर्मिती करून बालरंगभूमीची मुंबईत मुहूर्तमेढ रोवली. चेटकिणीची अप्रतिम भूमिका त्या करीत असत. पुढे लिटील थिएटर या स्वतःच्या संस्थेची स्थापनाकरून ‘स्नोव्हाइट आणि सातबुटके’, ‘कळलाव्या कांद्याची कहाणी’, ‘जादूचा वेल’, ‘अबब! विठू बोलू लागला’, ‘दयावर्दी झुंजार आणि काळा पहाड’, ‘चिनी बदाम’, ‘ह ह ह आणि हं हं हं’, ‘आगपेटीतला राक्षस’, ‘अप्पू अस्वल्या करी गुदगुल्या’, ‘पोर झिपरी शाळा बीन छपरी’ अशा एकापेक्षा एक बालनाट्यांची निर्मिती करून जवळजवळ दोन हजारांपेक्षा जास्त प्रयोग केले. त्यांच्या नाटकात देखणेनेपथ्य, सुमधुर गाणी, वेशभूषा, संगीत, नृत्य यांचा थाटमाट असायचा. लेखक विनोद हडप व अभिनेत्री लीला हडप या दाम्पत्याने शेवटपर्यंत या बालनाट्य चळवळीत मोलाची साथ दिली होती. एकीकडे सुधा करमरकर मुंबईत हे प्रयोग करत असताना दुसरीकडे पुण्यात सई परांजपे यांनी बालरंगभूमी, पुणे या संस्थेची स्थापना करून ‘पत्ते नगरीत’ हे नाटुकले केले. त्यानंतर ‘शेपटीचा शाप’, ‘जादूचा शंख’, ‘भटक्याचे भविष्य’, ‘सळो की पळो’, ‘झाली काय गंमत’, अशा बालनाटिका करून बालरंगभूमीची चळवळ सुरू केली होती. नंतर जयंत तारे, श्रीधर राजगुरू, मुकुंद तेलीचेरी, प्रकाश पारखीयांनी अनेक बालनाटये सादर करून या चळवळीला हातभार लावला.

सुधाताईंचा जन्म १९३४ साली मुंबईत झाला. वडील तात्या आमोणकर हे साहित्य संघ या नाट्यसंस्थेशी संलग्न असल्यानं त्यांना घरातूनच नाट्यसेवेचं बाळकडू मिळालं होतं. वयाच्या १८व्या वर्षी त्या भरतनाट्यम या शास्त्रीय नृत्यप्रकारात प्रवीण झाल्या होत्या.

त्यांनी ‘रंभा’ या नाटकात साकारलेली रंभेची भूमिका खूप गाजली. मुंबईच्या एल्फिन्स्टन कॉलेजमधून पदवी मिळवल्यानंतर मुंबईतीलजे.जे.स्कूल ऑफ आर्ट्समध्ये प्रवेश घेतला होता. आंतरमहाविद्यालयीन नाट्यस्पर्धेतील ‘उद्याचा संसार’ या नाटकातील सर्वोत्कृष्ट अभिनयाचे पारितोषिक सुधाताईंना मिळालं होतं. सुधाताईंनी बालरंगभूमीसाठी दिलेलं योगदान खूप मोठं होतं. लिटिल थिएटरच्या माध्यमातून त्यांनी अनेक बालनाट्ये सादर केली. त्यांनीच या बालनाट्यांचं दिग्दर्शन केलं होतं. ‘चिनी बदाम’, ‘अल्लाउद्दिन आणि जादूचा दिवा’, ‘अलिबाबा आणि चाळीस चोर’, ‘जादूचा वेल’, ‘गणपती बाप्पा मोरया’, ‘कळलाव्या कांद्याची कहाणी’, अशी अनेक बालनाट्ये त्यांनी सादर केली. व्यावसायिकरंगभूमीवरही त्यांनी काम केलं होतं. ‘विकत घेतला न्याय’, ‘तो राजहंस एक’, ‘तुझे आहे तुजपाशी’, ‘थँक्यू मि. ग्लाड’, ‘पुत्रकामेष्टी’, ‘बेईमान’, ‘रायगडाला जेव्हा जाग येते’, ‘पती गेले गं काठेवाडी’, ‘वीज म्हणाली धरतीला’, ‘अश्रूंची झाली फुले’, अशा व्यावसायिक नाटकांतूनही त्यांनी काम केलं. त्यांना २०१२ साली महाराष्ट्र राज्य सांस्कृतिक कार्य संचलनालयाच्या वतीने ‘नटवर्य प्रभाकर पणशीकररंगभूमी’ जीवनगौरव पुरस्कारानं गौरवण्यात आलं होतं. त्यांच्या जाण्याने बालरंगभूमीचे मोठे नुकसान झाले असून ही हानी भरून काढणे अशक्य आहे. बालरंगभूमीच्या या देवतेला मानाचा मुजरा !

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Aditya Bivalkar
With three years of experience as a working journalist, Aditya likes to unravel the mysteries of the city. That is when he is not busy helping produce Marathi plays or organising cultural events. You can connect with him on Twitter at @Bivalkaraditya

On World Press Freedom Day

Freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right of every Indian citizen. While it comes with reasonable restrictions, it is the only protection most journalists get in India — Article 19 (a). On World Press Freedom Day today, May 3rd, we The Revolver, want to discuss the need for and challenges to this freedom.

This tale started with the Bengal Gazette by Augustus Hicky. It is reportedly documented as the first newspaper published in India. This was in the 1780s. The paper didn’t survive the test of times but was a testament to how people craved the freedom to express. Eventually, many Indian language papers came to fore, some short-lived, some whose legacy was passed on through generations. Today, the electronic media is a huge part of the newsmaking machinery, to the extent that the press is hardly a term that can encompass it all.

Interesting Read: India ranks 138 in World Press Freedom Index, slips two places since 2017 by Scroll.in

The press is often challenged by their contemporaries (television and digital) as well as adversaries (the scrutiny of the reader and the expression of their discontent). This results in a two-edged response — on one hand, the freedom to express reaches the common man and on the other, the competition reaches an extent that it is no longer healthy for the participants.

Interesting Read: The Musalman: India’s ‘hand-written’ newspaper by Khaleej Times

When it comes to empowering people, the press, the printed form of news, is a winner that cannot be thwarted easily. It used to be one the cheapest way to disseminate information. With the advent of the easily accessible internet, this is ceasing to be true. However, the fact remains that once printed, one cannot change what has reached homes. This is not necessarily true for the digital world where information can be modified at the click of a button.

Interesting Read: Rural Women Take to Journalism, Redefine Lives by Media

However, this empowerment comes at a price that is the livelihood of the people involved. Though considered credible, it is extremely difficult to sustain a newspaper. Difficulties include maintaining a loyal readership in a world that is increasingly becoming digitalised. Most newspapers, at least small ones, depend heavily on advertisements to run their business, among other sources of funding. To continue publishing the paper and be able to draw monthly salaries from it, they have to keep the advertisers happy — a task that can be conflicting to their freedom to express.

Interesting Read: Only ‘Kashmir Reader’ was gagged, but all newspapers in the Valley must toe a tricky line by Scroll.in

Another is, of course, a grave one as it a matter of life and death. Many journalists, especially the ones reporting from areas of conflict and that too for smaller newspapers often stand the risk of being targeted if they fail to toe the line. This is increasingly becoming a global concern as the press is one of the most important institutions that can uphold a democracy and give the power to the people to hold those in power accountable.

Interesting Read: Journalists Writing In Indian Languages Face Greater Risks Than Those In The English Media by Huffington Post

Explaining the different facets of the issue at hand, our reader, Vinay Agrawal, a lifestyle journalist, writes:

“In my opinion, freedom of the press should be viewed with a two-pronged approach. As we know, with freedom comes the idea of responsibility. Even if an absolute freedom is granted to press, it must operate within a framework and exercise censorship on its own pertaining to any coverage that can endanger (or has potential to) the safety of an individual or a microcosm in a broader context.

 

The other prong is the freedom that has been granted. Here, of course, there should be ethical guidelines but to gag, the voice of press to protect the vested interest or to seek favoured coverage that can impact a consensus falls outside the purview of freedom. And, that is malicious to free functioning of the press.

 

Speaking from my experience as a lifestyle journalist, the freedom of the press has become a function of various variables. With image architects, brand managers coming to mix, add to this competition and pressures to get exclusives, the role of a journalist has changed considerably. All of this has affected the freedom and caused a divide between ‘what he/she wants to write” and ‘what is being written.”

In a world run by economics, ethics are often compromised for a sustainable living. This is one of the biggest hurdles in being able to stay free enough to express and disseminate a balanced worldview to an individual without resources to fact-check what they are being told. This, in our view, is where the Indian press needs to work on — an economic model that will help the industry function ethically and independently — to serve the purpose people believe they exist for.

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From the desk of The Revolver

Communicating through a trek

To trust someone with your life enough to let them hold your hand when you are scared takes an immense amount of courage. It can be achieved only with the right kind of communication. Would you give up on your grip to hold someone else’s hand if you weren’t a hundred percent sure that they knew what they were doing? This connection exists between not just people involved in a trek but also the organisers that help each other in times of crisis.

Do you remember feeling Bunny’s pain in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, when he tells Naina about missing the calls from friends and family regarding the death of his father? It is definitely a tough scene to forget. How do regular trekkers maintain the thin balance of being away from the world and yet stay connected enough to be in touch with their loved ones?

Kinjan, a member of Activity Adda, which organises treks and other adventure activities across the country, says, “After a while, even our families have come to understand that being disconnected for days comes with the job.” He tells us how they keep calling or messaging whenever possible, but in some locations, especially during treks in mountains up north, it becomes extremely difficult.

However, for people like Kinjan and his team, it isn’t just about their own well being but the safety of the entire team they take for the trek, they are responsible for. Upon being asked about it, Kinjan tells us that as a rule, the organising team visits the place and ensures that they know of every emergency aide in the vicinity. They keep in touch with locals who can help with evacuation if things go south.

He tells us, “In locations where we have proper mobile connectivity, we keep emergency contacts handy. However, in places where there is absolutely no signal, we take helpful locals along with us, in exchange for a fee. The person has a local phone and knows the place well.”

“We also have a WhatsApp group of trek organisers, where we can put a message in case of emergencies. In such a scenario, whoever is the nearest, comes to help,” says Miten Shah, Kinjan’s teammate.

However, what when there is no signal to send a text over WhatsApp? Miten tells us that in most locations, they are able to get enough signals to make a call, thanks to Reliance’s Jio, and if required one can call a person on the group, asking them to send out the message of help. He seems happy and confident about having the said back up. We are too!

Miten further tells us how during a recent trip to Raigad Fort, the nearest hospital was over 20 kms downhill from the base they rested at. “In such cases, it becomes important for us to know the other sources of a medical aide. At Raigad, there was a general practitioner available around a kilometre away and we had the required contacts.”

Both Kinjan and Miten tell us how they have been fortunate enough to not have to put such extreme protocols in action. However, one needs to always be prepared, says Miten.

When asked about how they keep in touch with each other in locations without a proper mobile network, he says, “We use walkie-talkies as those are the only available option. We have fire signals and shout calls to communicate.”

When it comes to adventure sports and trekking, television and movies seem to have played an important role in romanticising the idea — or so we thought before running it by Miten. He tells us about the other side, “Often we encounter people who feel trekking is too dangerous and they might have to go hungry because that is how they see in on a screen. We then spend a bit of time explaining everything to them and gaining their confidence.” He tells us how food is properly rationed and proper safety measures are taken on their part to ensure a safe, fun experience for the participants.

This brought us back to the point from where we began — communication is key to an adventure activity, no matter how much it seems to be about strength, willpower and experience.

Pictures by Kedar Koli

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Kedar Koli
Love for the language drew him to English Literature, which he graduated in. Thirst for the knowledge brought him to Journalism which he currently is pursuing! You can connect with him on Twitter at @kolikedar09

Text by Jagruti Verma

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Jagruti Verma
With a little experience of feature writing and subbing on her resume, Jagruti strives to get better with each piece of writing she works on. You can connect with her on Twitter at @JagrutiVerma