21072024-LSTC-01.qxd 7/20/2024 11:14 PM Page 1 c m y b BLAKE SHINES IN TRAILER Blake Lively has impressed audiences with a powerful portrayal in the latest trailer of the upcoming film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, It Ends With Us. Directed by Justin Baldoni, who also stars in the romantic drama, the trailer promises a compelling narrative. TRIBUNE Life Holy visit Miss World Manushi Chhillar visited the Siddhivinayak Temple on Saturday, amid the heavy downpour in Mumbai, and described it as the ‘best morning’. CHANDIGARH | SUNDAY | 21 JULY 2024 ‘I AM INNO HURRY’ nect with the world during the downtime of KEEN INTEREST IN With Covid, has become a classroom learning for RESH from the final touches to his lathundreds of established and budding SCRIPTWRITING... an array of work est directorial venture, Mehta Boys, scriptwriters. “It should impact people,” he Chandigarh has people who take a Boman Irani welcomes us into his well. You remind to boast of as an actor, asserts, “and impact me asyou become a stu- keen interest in scriptwriting. This I world of storytelling and love for yourself while teaching; found out when I had a session with the craft. His journey through dent as a teacher.” shared their penchant photography, theatre, and now filmmakHis workshops resonate with an infecBoman Irani is now ready tious energy, where the desire is to impart people whobeyond the visuals. for movies, ing reflects not just a career but a prothem are a part found love affair with art of the narrative. not just creativity, with his directorial venture behind storytelling.but also the science Today, some ofBound sessions. of the regular Spiral There is no hurry to reach somewhere, “Creativity comes he doesn’t have those targets to achieve from a certain amount of imagination, for ‘Mehta Boys’. He firmly big…It’s the insatiable curiosity and the sure, but it also comes from a certain sciintention to immerse in the process which ence. There’s a finance component, a crebelieves learning has to ative component, and definitely a science drive him. In a conversation with Boman, we discover that he embodies a blend of component. And that’s what I would like to be a constant patience, passion and humility that defines his spread among youngsters.” approach to both life and work. Boman says he has gained a lot from the in life “I want to do a festival circuit first,” he begins industry and when he was working on screen- Gurnaaz F about Mehta Boys’ release. But what took so long to direct a film? He responds, “I want to answer this question with a question. What’s the hurry? I am not going to push the agenda so that I finish. I haven’t chased. I just want to enjoy the process. There is a process of becoming a director. I would deny myself that because if I do, I don’t know if I have made a good film. So, it took me a lot of time. I am in no hurry to do anything.” As he emphasises on becoming a director, rather than just checking direction on his todo list, this sentiment echoes throughout Boman’s diverse career. From a humble beginning in photography at 32 to stepping on the stage in his mid-thirties, his path to acting was unconventional but deliberate. “People said, ‘Where were you all these years?’ I was preparing myself to be an actor. While I was in the bakery or while I was a The play Bulleh Shah delves into the life of the poet and the most important chapters of Punjabi Sufi history Sheetal Kuldip Raj Sharma’s play Bulleh Shah, staged for two consecutive days at the Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, was no less than time travel to the 1718th century Punjab. More than that, the play called for a ‘journey within one’s soul’ — a by-product of knowing the life story of renowned Sufi poet and social reformer, Bulleh Shah. On the colourful stage stood two lead characters, Shah Inayat, played by Kuldip himself, and his disciple, Bulleh Shah. As Jasvir Kumar successfully portrayed the life of Bulleh Shah, other characters too looked the part. Kuldip discreetly re-imagined each of his onstage character and with the assistance of make-up artistes, successfully took along the audience on this journey. On the other hand, Chainis Gill, heading the chorus team for this musical play, which involved folk musicians on tumbi and sarangi, added a new dimension to the narrative. The lighting team was managed by Abhishek Sharma. Date with a Sufi The play focused on poet Bulleh Shah’s life from when he was 30-35 years old till his death, which, supposedly, are the most important chapters of Punjabi Sufi history. Shah was not just hailed as a poet of the people and reformer, but freely expressed his thoughts through poetry to propagate humanity over religion. From choosing a teacher from a low caste, dancing with transgenders and learning dance from Muradi Begum, Bulleh Shah led his life on his own terms. Sharma stressed upon the relevance of all those underlined themes in this biographical play, which he believed are still the issues pulling down humanity. Sharma, who has worked in television, films and theatre, feels having worked in three medium, has helped him learn a lot. He shared, “For me, theatre is all about posture, gesture and voice. When performing on stage, there’s an audience watching you live and there’s no room for close-ups like in films or TV. So, I believe the intonation of voice and grand gestures or postures are the key to reach the last of the seated guests.” Bulleh Shah is Sharma’s second play with writer Karan Gulzar, The latter is a research scholar in the Department of Indian theatre, Panjab University. Sharma said one should always take out time for the development of the script before proceeding. Along with Karan, he had previously made the play, Luna, which was very successful. (Bulleh Shah will be performed in Ludhiana on August 4. It will be presented by Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam) c m y b waiter or whatever else, I used to read and absorb, and, for me, I love that. If I had become an actor at 21, I would have been an utter, dismal failure,” he says. One step led to another and learning has been a constant in his journey. But did he always want to be an actor? Pat comes the reply, “Probably. The one thing I always wanted to be is a director, actually. But acting has become a part of directing. Even photography. If I know framing and lighting, it’s because of the years I spent with cameras. Understanding the structure is essential.” Drawing parallels between his various roles along the way, he says, “Any kind of knowledge helps.” The same amount of effort and love goes into teaching. Yes, Boman has been teaching scriptwriting to one and all under Spiral Bound. What came up as a way to con- writing, he made a lot of notes. Amidst discussions on varied things related to showbiz, we touched upon stardom and Boman remains refreshingly grounded. “I don’t consider myself a star,” he smiles. His humility shines through when he says, “When I walk into a place, I don’t carry the baggage with me. I am not that self-aware because I don’t put that up in the list of things I need to tick. Just enjoy the moment. I hate calling myself a star. Let’s call it a good celebrity.” Direction, acting, photography, teaching…While Boman has all these skills, there’s one he wants to acquire and his enthusiasm for learning is palpable. “I would love to play the guitar,” he grins, “I do play it, but not that well.” What more? Boman hints at a future memoir, reflecting on his life and career with characteristic candour. “Every time I think about it, I feel very narcissistic when I start writing,” he quips. “Then I close it.”
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