Went for the much hyped – “The Lunchbox” last Sunday morning.
Charming film. It’s beauty lies in understatement. Understated script,
understated dialogue, understated acting. Everything minimalistic. One doesn’t
expect anything less than competent from Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddique.
But, Nirmat Kaur is the real find. Hope she doesn’t get type-cast to do de-glam
roles. Yet, I think the movie been trifle over-rated. The Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap
connection does help in getting PR – as indeed does the Sony Picture Classics banner.
Still, it didn’t manage to become India’s official entry for the Oscars as
widely expected in the social media. The Gujarati – The Good Road was the
unanimous choice of the selection committee. Nandini Ramnath has a good
explanation why the critics voted for The Good Road over The Lunchbox in Mint (click here to read)
Goutam Ghose – the Chairman of the Jury spoke in 2 voices. First, while announcing the choice of the ‘The
Good Road’ he said it was a unanimous decision of the jury. Later, he told the
media, ‘The Lunchbox’ was his personal favourite (click here to read) thus fanning an unwarranted controversy.
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Haven’t been exercising much in the past one year. Never a
morning person – don’t find the time for walks even in the evening. Didn’t swim
this entire season. The punishing travel routine becomes a convenient excuse for
not doing anything. Foreigners always manage to pack in a gym schedule or a jog
even when they are on the road. My yoga teacher has given up on me. I keep two
Books on Yoga next to my bed – perhaps, in the hope they’d be working on the
subconscious mind – a new form of Transcendental Yoga one might say J. But, in reality – I
know this is unpardonable at my age. It goes much beyond simple laziness –
perhaps, bordering on incipient depression.
The only form of physical activity – I enjoy these days are
my Sunday evening walks through the alleys and by-lanes of South Calcutta, the
locality where I grew up. It’s amazing how little has changed in this area over
the years – barring many of the old bungalows turned into small apartment
blocks, the new saree boutiques and cafes. But, beyond that it remains just the
same – a grim reminder of the economic stagnation of the city. The tea stalls
on the pavement, phuchka-wallahs at street junctions – dimly lit and with
pathetic hygiene and road-side snack take-aways selling the most unhealthy Fish fry, cutlets, chops and rolls.
But, there is a charm in travelling back in time. So, I make
each of these walks a destination outing. My favourite being a tea-stop at
Radu-Babu’s Hotel next to Lake Market. I’m amazed at the incredible prices – he
still keeps. It requires a lot of will-power to resist the special Chicken
Kobiraji. But, his speciality is the Bong-style ‘Roasted Chicken’ available
only on Thursdays for a limited period. A whole-spring chicken at a princely Rs
96 is hard to digest. But, don’t know how he manages it even in this day and
age. I suspect it’s a ‘loss-leader’ – a reward of sorts for his loyal
customers.
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| Burnt-garlic Squid |
When I started going to the Mangalorean restaurants in the
Fort area in the early 80s – you could still have a meal at Mahesh Lunch Home
for Rs 25, the lunch allowance for many offices on PM Road (those were days
before Sodexo and Ticket Restaurants) – Citibank, HTA (Hindustan Thompson) and
Liptons. Since, they were discovered by Imran Khan and Lonely Planet – Trishna,
Mahesh, Bharat (Excellensea) and even Apoorva, have turned high-end specialty
sea-food restaurant . But, there’s one treasure – yet to be discovered by
Mumbai’s Page 3 crowd – Pratap lunch Home, tucked away in the lane next to the
Fort Parsi Agiari. Had an outstanding Burnt Garlic Squid and authentic
Mangalorean Crab Sukka with Neer Dosa – the other day. A watering-hole in the
evenings for the “janata” of nearby office
goers it still remains affordable and unpretentious. Strongly recommended for
the mildly adventurous and the less snooty.
