Preview: DJ Sami spins in Hong Kong

Just as Hong Kong's handover anniversary is celebrated each year with a dance party, India's Independence Day has also proved to be a good excuse for hedonistic dance-floor fun.

Providing the soundtrack at this year's extravaganza is Akbar Sami, one of Mumbai's best known DJs and provider of countless Bollywood sound-tracks. Sami is one of the Indian entertainment capital's highest paid disc jockeys.

Although he's said to have single-handedly brought house music to Indian dance floors, Sami says his sound resists easy categorisation. "In India, one needs to have a sense of rhythm, know some of the basics of instruments and have a wide collection of different styles - unlike in the west, where they have genre-specific DJs and clubs."

In the world of Indian remixing - where producers often illegally sample movie soundtracks and rework them for the dance floor - Sami is one of the few to work with original composers. He's the official remixer for no fewer than five upcoming Bollywood releases.

"If you hear my remixes, just about everything is new - the range, the instruments," he says. "Film producers ask me to work with them, but I've had to say no because I don't have time to work on bad albums. If the music's bad, you can't do anything with it."

Since Sami first spun in the 1980s, he dreamed of opening a nightclub. He realised his ambition two months ago, with the launch of Synergy, which has rapidly become one of Mumbai's top hangouts.

"I wanted to do it for a long time, but I couldn't find the right place. A friend showed me this property and so Synergy was born."

However, such is the demand for Sami that he hasn't found time to man the decks. "When everthing settles down - the club is still a baby - I'll spin," he says.

Sat, 11 pm,
Armani Bar

Published on Thursday, August 10, 2006

By P.Ramakrishnan

Bollywood voice Powers way to the Top: Extraordinary Singer Sunidhi Chauhan's First Concert in Hong Kong

At 23, Sunidhi Chauhan dominates the Indian charts. Now, her sights are set on the west, writes P.Ramakrishnan.

Long before American Idol, 11-year old Sunidhi Chauhan was shooting to fame on a nationally televised singing competition in Mumbai called Meri Awaaz Suno (Listen to My Voice).

Chauhan, now one of India's most popular singers, won the competition easily. That led to a recording contract with HMV (India) and a spot on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Shastra (Weapon). But then came the lull. "Success didn't come easily and I had to wait," she says. "Then I got the chance to sing the title song of the film Mast [in 1999]. But if a film doesn't do well, the songs can
get lost.

"The movie didn't do well, my voice was changing, I wasn't mature enough, things didn't pick up immediately. Years later, three of the tracks in Mast hit the charts and I've never looked back. But there were years in between when I just did one or two songs. Now I'm in a recording studio every week."

Now 23, and with an unprecedented 11 No 1 songs on Indian charts last year, Chauhan is unquestionably Bollywood's top female playback singer - who provides the vocals that are mimed by actors.

"Singers hope for at least one or two songs a year that will hit the charts and stay there. You can't trust sales figures or what radio shows say is in. Go to any party or club - is the song being played? That's the true mark. I'm blessed because a dozen of my songs have been hits, and not just in India."

Chauhan is an Indian Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and Diana Krall rolled into one feisty package, and her powerful vocals can be heard in almost every Indi-pop-bhangra club.

"My career is what it is because of the big jazzy, pop numbers, but I prefer to sing love songs. I enjoy soft numbers with good lyrics more than the chartbusters."

Like most singers, Chauhan listens to herself rarely. During the interview the strains of British jazz-funk band Incognito drift in the background. "I also love Billie Holiday. I listen to her a lot. One day I hope to cut an English album," she says.

"When I think of Indian artists who've recorded English songs, I think it hasn't emigrated well because the words don't strike a chord, even if the music is good. My interest in western music has always been there. It would be a dream come true to go into a music store anywhere in the world and find an Indian CD sitting alongside Celine Dion or Whitney Houston."

Chauhan now performs about 12 concerts per year around the world. She first came to Hong Kong several years ago as a back-up singer for Indian stars. "But this will be my first solo show in Hong Kong. I'm really looking forward to it, even though I'm visiting for just one day."


Thursday, April 27, 2006

almost famous: Taurus Wah Man-wai: Interview with Hong Kong Scenographer

by P.Ramakrishnan.

"The balcony scene of Romeo And Juliet held over a swimming pool where Romeo, in the water, has to look up to Juliet - high up on a diving board. Now that's a scene!" At the risk of offending every traditionalist, scholar or student, that's one of 38-year-old scenographer Taurus Wah Man-wai's visions for Shakespeare's classic play. Not that he has any intention of realising it: it is just something that plays on his mind as he works on any one of the many dance/musical/operatic dramas that are keeping him busy till the end of next year.

"When I see something on stage that's straight out of a book, exactly as written with no changes or innovation, to me, a scenographer has failed," Wah says. "In the United States, a long time ago, I saw an alternative version of Carmen, well, it was Car Man, set in a garage. Didn't like the dances, the songs, the music or anything - but the concept was good. At least it's different."

So what does a scenographer do? "Well, everything. Using the space available on stage, everything that's visible has to be placed by a scenographer. I've created costumes, worked on the lighting, props, decor, picked artists, overseen the make-up - all of it."

Wah is the man behind, above and below some of the most innovative theatrical pieces staged in Hong Kong and Europe, including the Hong Kong Dance Company's Yellow River, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's Songs Of Wanderers, and his own company Open Daily's Everything that Is Unimportant Falls Away - Arvo Part.

"I created Open Daily, which is an independent production house, because often I am restricted by budgets and other people's visions and have to mend and bend my way across to suit others. Now I can create what I want and get the people I need. Not that I don't have budget issues to deal with. Sometimes I have to pick a second choice, a third, even a fourth."

A former dancer who trained with renowned ballet teacher Joan Campbell in Hong Kong during his teens, Wah also trained and worked as an accoutant before his career changed in leaps and bounds. "I was interested in theatre, opera, the visual arts," he says. "Initially, I didn't get much encouragement from my parents, who wanted me to do something practical, to become a professional. So I did my accounting and worked in London for a year or so. I came back to Hong Kong to work in the administrative department for the Cultural Centre when it opened in the late 80s. At that time it was great - I got to meet Prince Charles, Princess Diana, which was impossible in Britain. To work with all the great international artists such as Cellist Yo-Yo Ma was wonderful."

He later met Willie Tsao Sing-yuen, of the City Contemporary Dance Company [CCDC] and subsequently became the troupe's manager. One of the founding members and resident choreographer of CCDC, Helen Lai, saw Wah's work in various departments and out of the blue asked him to create costumes for a show.

"It was extraordinary. I can't sew or stitch but I could draw and design. So I did and one thing led to another. Word got around and I worked on many shows."

His love of research, however, prompted him to postgraduate studies abroad. In 1995, he won a fellowship from the British Council and the Anglo-Hong Kong trust that led him to a master of arts in scenography at the university of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland. Now, he is studying for a PhD in the drama department at the University of London's Goldsmith's College. His doctoral thesis is on China's Kun Opera.

His studies, however, have not stopped him from working. He is collaborating with Timmy Yip, the Oscar-winning art/set director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, on "a grand Chinese musical along the commercial lines of an Andrew Lloyd Webber production" that will be staged tentatively next year.

He is also busy with Fetish: Stories, a physical theatre performance directed by British choreographer Robert Tannion and produced by Wah that is scheduled to play on April 26-27 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, although the dates have yet to be confirmed. With eight local dancers, the dance drama will be jaw-dropper, Wah declares. "We promise the audience an exciting experience such as they've never had before in Hong Kong theatre."

Much Ado about the Meaning of Nothing: Indian Play to be Staged in Hong Kong: Interview with Lillete Dubey

Martial arts meets philosophy in Lillete Dubey's play about the life of Bodidharma, writes P.Ramakrishnan.

For many people, Lillete Dubey is the international face of Indian cinema, thanks to Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding and Vanity Fair.

A noted wit off stage and on, her appearances in films, including some memorable Bollywood roles, have given her international recognition.

"Someone mentioned that I'm in every other film and I was quite taken aback," Dubey says. "I've done about six or seven Hindi and three English films in the last two years. How is that every other film?

"It just so happens that the movies were high-profile stuff. They weren't all box-office hits, but the independent films like My Brother Nikhil [about Aids] and Morning Raga [about the death of a classical singer's son] made a lot of news. I just can't be part of any old rubbish."

Dubey has long been associated with some of the best plays from India, including Dance Like a Man, which she directed and acted in.

In Mumbai, as her driver races through the rain to drop her at a movie set ("guest appearance darling, I can't be the lead at this stage"), Dubey is enthusiastic about taking her latest English play, Zen Katha, outside India - starting in Hong Kong this weekend.

"Theatre is my true love," she says. "I'll never leave it and I'm so excited about bringing the play to Hong Kong. Thematically, so much of it is relevant in that part of the world. the story was told to me by writer Pratap Sharma, I was keen to direct this on stage."

Zen Katha traces the story of Dharma, a Pallava Indian prince, recounting his journey from India to the Chinese court in 525AD. Through his tumultuous adventures, including an encounter with Emperor Wu Ti, the peace-loving Brahmin prince-turned-monk founded martial arts and the philosophy of Zen at a Shaolin monastery.

"I was fascinated because its part of our historical legacy," Dubey says. "The founder of Zen and martial arts - all the kung fu, tai chi and everything - can be traced to Maha Malappuram, which literally translates as the city of great wrestlers. It's a part of Indian history that little is known about.

"Bodidharma was originally known as Dharma. When he was prematurely born he was sentenced to death. Born weak, blue in the face, he was thought to be a disgrace by his father, the king who wanted only fighters as sons.

"But a Hindu priest begged the king to hand over the child to him. The priest taught pranaya, yogic breathing skills, and taught him kallaripayattu, a martial art, to gain strength.

"This first part of his life in India, before he headed off to Canton, fell into place as the first act of the play. He left through the Himalayas to learn martial arts that would enable him to fight faster than breath, faster than thought."

The second act unfolds across the borders as Dharma attempts to better himself. "It reveals what happened after he met Emperor Wu, who was surrounded in court by yes-men and sycophants," says Dubey. "The ruler was an extremely pious man, and the monk annoyed him terribly. The king wanted to know how he'd be rewarded in the after life. The monk said nothing. His answer to everything was nothing. The concept of nothingness, Zen, infuriated the king and the monk had to flee."

Writing and research took the theatre production team that Dubey founded in 1991 years. "The very word Zen is derived from Dhyaan - meditation, sharp focus. When you're fighting or mediating, there must be focus."

The multicultural play posed multiple challenges, from casting to tightening the script while preserving the epic nature of the story. "It's a very visual production," Dubey says. "So, my actors had to learn martial arts for months - but just the basics."

Will Hong Kong audiences be treated to high-level martial arts? "They perform some," she says. "But they're actors who play martial artists. The audience isn't going to see the fireworks they might be accustomed to. But our sensei, who taught them the basics, wasn't shy in his praise."

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Bollywood or Bust: Veer Zara, Yash Chopra's Epic to Screen in Hong Kong

Decked out in suits, saris and salwars, Hong Kong's Indian community will get together next weekend for the screening of an epic Bollywood musical as part of the annual Diwali festival. And full houses are anticipated for the three-hour India-Pakistan cross-border love story Veer Zara.

Bollywood king Shahrukh Khan leads a cast that includes Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee, with India's finest director/producer, Yash Chopra, at the helm. Rumours that the epic will be the 72-year-old filmmaker's last directorial venture have only raised expectations - and the price of the tickets. At HK$150 to HK$180 a head, the screening at Chinachem will be one of the city's more expensive cinema experiences.

Catering to Hong Kong's lovers of all things Bollywood has become a risky business. But the woman behind the Veer Zara screening, Deepa Datwani of Cineworld, is unperturbed: "The tickets have to be high because, unlike English films, the theatres don't share the profits with us. It's a flat price. Whether someone's in a seat or not, we're still paying for it and, us to make any money, we need at least 60 per cent of the hall to be full - which is never guaranteed. And we had to bid highly to secure the rights for the film in Hong Kong because competition has intensified." Indeed it has.

The venues for screening of Hindi films change regularly - from the massive Ocean theatre to the plush exhibition halls at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and the cost of tickets has remained steep, regardless of the screening location.

"The Hindi movie industry is so unpredictable," Datwani says. "They change release dates at the last minute, so we can't book in advance when it's cheaper. In the past, we've lost deposits because the film in India gets delayed in production and we have to cancel our bookings.

"The venue is the most difficult thing we have to deal with. Whatever is available at short notice, we have to stick to that."

The first Hindi film to be screened in Hong Kong was Hum Aaapke Hain Kaun back in 1994 when, much to the surprise of organisers, all the $100 tickets were sold. Since then, Bollywood's best have made it to our shores reasonably regularly, with screenings held on average about once every four months.

Pamela Kapoor and Kamalesh Kalra were among the first to bring Indian films to local audiences and showed them at the Hong Kong Convention Centre, the Arts Centre and in universities. But they have now backed out of the game.

"There's too much competition, getting a cinema is so difficult and pricey," Kalra says. "And with the success of Indian movies internationally, the prices of buying Indian films have gone up, and we weren't seeing the returns in Hong Kong."

Meghna Agarwal, another organiser of local screenings whose father is a film distributor in India, imported Kal Ho Na Ho last year. "We didn't make a huge profit. We didn't have full houses for all our shows, so we just about broke even. For Indian films, there's nothing like word of mouth publicity, so most of our audiences we get through sending out e-mails and faxes. Advertising in papers and magazines doesn't help much."

Datwani agrees. "People have a general idea of what a film is like. If the cast is good and the music is good then they can predict what the film will be like. But it's a big risk on our part.

"Dev, which had a great cast and good music wasn't that successful. Audiences found the film too slow and attendance for later shows fell drastically."

Not unlike the Hollywood box-office, the only real money made is in the first weekend. "Two days after a film is released in India, DVDs of the film are easily available in Hong Kong. We have to show the film in the first few days, otherwise people will rather pay for HK$20 for a pirated disc - no matter how good the print - than pay HK$120," says Agarwal.

Will the gamble pay off for her latest venture? Datwani has her fingers crossed. "It's a big banner, the director is well known and it's a top cast, Shahrukh movies always do well and our biggest success was his last film, Main Hoon Na. With English subtitles, we expect anyone who's a fan of a musical to turn up."

By P.Ramakrishnan

Indian composer has Bollywood dancing to his tunes: The Mozart of Madras A.R.Rehman in Hong Kong

A.R.Rahman is known as a musical wizard who has revolutionised film scores, writes P.Ramakrishnan.

Bollywood movies feature an average of seven songs - which means that the Indian film industry churns out about 4,800 numbers a year. But there's only one man who has consistently claimed the No 1 spot on the music charts.

Indian composer Allah Rakha Rahman (A.R.Rahman), has been credited with "changing the face of Indian music" (India Today). His song Roobaroo, from the film Rang De Basanti (Paint It Yellow), has occupied the top spot on the Mumbai charts since its release four weeks ago.

"Rahman is the biggest representative of Indian music," says Bollywood movie mogul Subhash Ghai. "He's an example for future generations. He's the best fusion of art and science in music."

Singer Hariharan, who will visit Hong kong as part of Rahman's troupe this weekend, met the composer when he was working on a cosmetics commercial and says Rahman helped his career.

"After the commercial, he asked me to record a song for the movie Roja [Rose, 1992]," says Hariharan. "Then, in 1994, the film Bombay was released and my song Tu Hi Re became a big hit. It was as if Rahman exhibited my voice and gave it a huge commercial perspective."

A steady stream of hits led Rahman from the mean streets of Chennai to the lavish sets of London musical Bombay Dreams - the first time British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber invited another composer to write for him.

"I think he has an incredible voice," Lloyd Webber has said. "I've seen many Bollywood films, but what he manages to do is unique. He keeps it very much Indian. As a westerner, I can always recognise his music because it has a voice of its own. It's definitely Indian, yet it has an appeal which will go right across the world.

"He will hit the west in an amazing kind of way - that is, if he's led in the right way. He's the most extraordinary composer who is still true to his cultural roots, and deserves to be heard by an international public."

For those familiar with the average length of an Indian movie, it should come as no surprise that the concert at the Convention and Exhibition Centre will run for three and half to four hours.

Rahman will play keyboards and sing, accompanied by Alka Yagnik, Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, BlaaZe, Kailash Kher, Madhushree and Sadhana sargam and a full orchestra.

Media-shy Rahman is popular among so-called playback singers, whose songs are pre-recorded for use in films. The singer records, and the actors lip sync for the cameras. He's also popular with Bollywood stars, who often fly from Mumbai to Chennai to record at his studio.

"His strength is the way he designs sound," says Hariharan. "He has revolutionised film music. He's perpetually on a quest to get the best out of you and make you feel at ease. I have sung some of my best songs for him."

Singer Alka Yagnik agrees. "He's a one-man show. Once he's taught you the song, he gives you a free hand. He lets you sing it the way you want to."

For the local audiences unfamiliar with Bombay Dreams, Rahman's work can be found closer to home: he was responsible for the haunting background score for mainland action/adventure epic warriors of Heaven and Earth (2003).


Thursday, February 16, 2006

Out of Character: Bollywood Goes for a Novel Narrative

Most mainstream Bollywood films tend to stick to a formula, reinforcing, good, clean, family values as white sari-clad heroines and dashing young heroes fall in love among fields of sunflowers.

But when 27-year-old Siddharth Anand got approval from producer Aditya Chopra to turn his screenplay into a film, the debutant director chose to push the envelope. Well, just a bit. In Salaam Namaste, the lead couple (played by Preity zinta and Saif Ali Khan) don't get married - they simply live together.

Not long ago, such a thing in a Bollywood film would have been scandalous. But times are changing. "We have to push the audience little by little," says Anand. "A live-in relationship isn't a big deal in Indian cities any more.

"As new directors, we have to push the envelope - but slowly. The film isn't provocative or scandalous. It's a young couple who live together. We're not there to shock anyone just for the heck of it. In fact, no one will be shocked by it in India. It's the NRI [non-resident Indian} market - the Indians who left India 20, 30 years ago and are still maintaining old standards. They need to see how far India has progressed."

Anand's family has a long association with Bollywood - his grandfather Indra Raj Anand was a screen writer in the 70s and is credited with about 120 films - but he turned overseas for inspiration.

"It came from F.R.I.E.N.D.S," he says. "When Star started showing the sitcoms around India, it was incredibly influential. They had the issues that youth did. I think audiences will recognise Monica, Ross and Joey-ish characters."

Big things are expected from Salaam Naamaste! Hong Kong 's Bollywood fans can see it at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Sunday.

The film has come out under the banner of Yash Raj, India's oldest and most successful film production company, which has recorded profits of more than 300 million rupees ($53 million) in the past two years.

"I had co-written Hum Tum [Me and You] and the film was last year's biggest hit for the company," Anand says. "I wanted a young film, but the team of writers I had were just not getting the language right, so I wrote the story and screenplay. I guess script writing is in my genes."

The title uses Muslim and Hindu greetings - leading some people to think the film will be a caste - conflict romance. But Anand says there are none of those cliches.

"I'm glad the title of the film is going to mislead people because they're in for a complete surprise then," he says. "There aren't any fighting parents, no rich and poor tales and no culture clashes. This is a simple, musical romance and the only conflict is the inner conflict between a couple.

"The reason older filmmakers are struggling now is because they haven't adapted to the times - unlike Yash Chopra, who's in his 70s and still makes the biggest success because he's kept up with social and economical changes, and the attitudes and intelligence of the urban audience."

By P.Ramakrishnan