Reflections

I confess that I was star struck when I booked three tickets for Hamlet - the Clown Prince directed by Rajat Kapoor. Nothing can go wrong with tried and tested names in the Hindi film world as cast and crew, or so I believed. I also believe that I am someone who is open enough to look beyond the original text and allow space for intelligent and engaging improvisation. Having said that, Hamlet has always been a great favourite of mine from among the Shakespearean tragedies and I confess to being extremely loyal to the original text. So here’s what transpired at the screening of Hamlet- the Clown Prince at Chowdaiah memorial hall on 9 th September.  It all started with the organisers' constant drilling about sticking to time, via social media and later on via SMS after the tickets were purchased. Made me hopeful that we would finally look past excuses of Bangalore traffic and start the show bang on time. Twenty minutes after the start time, we were still checking out the ceilin...

Destination Avani wasn't previously fixed. It came to me through a Google search for places within 100 kms. from Bangalore. I like that about Bangalore; there's a new place to go to no matter how many times you have headed out from the city. I should also tell you that I have a penchant for old temples; temples which are not functional but are left behind as relics from a storyful past. Avani is around 98 kms. from Bangalore and the approach is via the gold mine district of Kolar. It would have been a great idea if I had started really early in the morning. In fact the websites that I referred to suggested the same.  Lesson learnt! I was out of home by 8 am and had to make a trip to the fuel station which I have been delaying in the hope that the unrealistic fuel prices would drop any day. Looks like the hope was unrealistic, we are staying sky high with those prices for a week now. Car tanked up, I suddenly remembered that I was hungry. My plan was to stop by at one of the...