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| The
Ghoom Tana team at Qila Mubarak in PATIALA |
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DATE
April
12,2004 |
PUBLICATION
The
Indian EXPRESS |
COUNTRY
Pattiala, India |
AUTHOR
Manveen Grewal |
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AFTER
decades of neglect, Patiala's Qila Mubarak's sparkled again.
Playing host to the talented team of Salman Ahmed, lead guitarist
and song writer of Pakistani rock band Junoon and N andita Das,
has indeed brought mubarak tidings for theqila. The group is
here to fOhoo't Salman's musIc film (he calls it that) for his
first solo project Ghoom Tana.
"The idea took birth during my visit to Patiala Heritage
Festival earlier this year. I fell ,in love with the place.
I knew I would need a voice to fill this place. I asked Shubha
Mudgal," smiles Salman, waving his arm at the qila.
Shubha Mudgal agreed readily and so did Nandita Das (who features
in the film) and Naseeruddin Shah (for the voice-over). "I
am floored by the generosity of every one here," he beams.
If Indian artistes has Salman impressed, so has Patiala, the
town of his ancestors. "It has been a spiritual bonding."
I found whatever my grandfather told me about about its streets,
cricket, music and funky headgear of its people. I feel kissed
by the city. I thinkl should coin a new term for it.
Patiala Smooch," he grins
About the music film, he explains, "I'm play a Pakistani
who brings gifts for my friends in Patiala. Nandita is a young
woman who has lost her husband. We meet and get to know each
other. The sevelHuinute film is about hope and harmony."
Busy shooting a Scene where Nandita is showing him Qila Mubarak,
Salman looked the perfect tourist, with a camcorder in hand.
1\Tandita. inl1efy-eUtfW' apd white suitpluycd the bubbly Punjabi
kudi to perfection.
"It's my first visit to Patiala. I like it here,"
she says, adding, "The fact that it is a collaborative
effort between Indians and Pakistanis made me join it. It is
also my first music video."
Nandita says we should work on more projects like these. "We
are taking a delegation of 28 street children to Pakistan later
this month. Taking to them, I realised we have filled their
minds with harsh nonsense. They think Pakistan in teeming with
terrorists and wahan bomb bante ham."
Asked if working with a Pakistani director is any different
and she smiles, "Our is a country of varied cultures and
we're used to doing things diffrently with different directions.
In fact, Dehli and Lahore are much more similar than Dehli and
Chennai."
For now, Shie is planning trip to Pakistan and looking at some
interesting movie scripts. "Let's hope I find something
as interesting as this, " she says. That might be a little
difficult. |
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