Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 73

Recipe: CHAAT MASALA

Chaat Masala

Chaat Masala adds punch to many dishes, especially items like Sev Puri, Ragada Pattice, Dahi Vada and the like. Of course, this is available readymade with many brands. But I prefer the Chaat Masala that I make at home.



INGREDIENTS



Jeera – 50 gm

Pepper – 1 tsp

Black Salt – 50 gm

Salt – ¼ tsp

Mirchi Powder – ½ tsp



METHOD



1. Roast the jeera well till it turns brown.

2. Add the pepper and mix well just a couple of minutes before you turn off the gas.

3. Allow the jeera-pepper mix to cool down.

4. Add jeera, pepper, black salt, salt and mirchi powder together in the mixer and grind to a fine powder.



If you think you might use this quantity over a couple of months, store half of it in an airtight container in the kitchen and the other half in another container that can be kept in your freezer.



You can even make delicious chaas by adding Chaat Masala to it.

Film Review: CHENNAI EXPRESS

There’s a very strong divide between ‘class’ and ‘crass’. Shah Rukh Khan bridges the gap with total ease



Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sathyaraj, Nikitin Dheer

Director: Rohit Shetty



I was not too sure that I wanted to see the film after looking at the promos. But Venkat is an ardent fan of Shah Rukh Khan and wanted to go. I tagged along out of curiosity for the paid premiere on Thursday, August 8, 2013. That’s right! Curiosity did kill the cat. And as you can see, it has taken me four days to post the review.



THE STORY



Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) has been orphaned since he was eight and brought up by his grandparents. The family owns and runs a sweetmeat shop. Rahul is tied down to his grandparents till he is 40 years old and his life revolves around them and the shop. His grandfather dies on his 100th birthday. Rahul is set the task of taking the old man’s ‘asthi’ to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. He plans to have fun with his friends in Goa instead. As his grandmother insists on taking him to the railway station to catch a train to South India, Rahul pretends to travel on Chennai Express. His life goes totally out of control from then on.



MY PERCEPTION



I used to adore Shah Rukh Khan – please note the past tense. He’s an excellent and versatile actor. DDLJ is my most favourite film till date. Of course, there have been some debacles – especially under the helm of Red Chillies Entertainment – such as Ram Jaane, Guddu, English Babu Desi Mein, Paheli , and Ra.One , to name a few. I personally liked Paheli , but the film was not a success.



I so wish the actor will take up interesting roles as he gets older. Chak De was an excellent film and SRK’s performance was just brilliant. If I remember right, the budget for this film was not too big and there was not too much marketing involved either.



I see a kind of desperation in the marketing tactics for Chennai Express. Is it because the content is so ‘khokla’ that it is so? Every TV channel you tune into is talking about Chennai Express, while they are trying to get Kashmir and Kanyakumari together by selling it all the way from the North Pole to the South Pole.



Yes, I also heard the news that they have crossed the 100 crore mark. Why not? Ticket rates are soaring, especially so for the Eid weekend. Everyone wants to see the film – including me – because SRK is starring in it. But does that mean I made an intelligent decision when I spent Rs. 250 for seeing this crap? Most definitely not!



I do like masala flicks – the Rohit Shetty kind – Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (only the first one in the series, mind you); Singham and Bol Bachchan were quite good. But there is a limit to which one can tolerate beefed up thugs, smashed jeeps and prolonged fight sequences. They get more ridiculous with each film.



Chennai Express takes the cake! The thugs are taller and wider with Nikitin Dheer topping the list. I wonder what kind of steroids they must be consuming to be like this. They stand around like baboons with vacant expressions, not adding an iota of value to the film.



Shah Rukh Khan insists that Rahul is all of forty years old. Why the hell does he not behave his age? Rahul’s antics suggest someone who is in Junior College. Need I say more?



The ‘kashin bradhars’ don’t understand Hindi anyway. Rahul and Meenamma (Deepika Padukone) could have comfortably conversed in the language. Why sing antaksharis and torture the audience? If they thought it was comical, they surely have another think coming. Many of the dialogues were in Tamil and then translated into Hindi. To someone like me who speaks both languages, it was prolonged agony. I am sure they could have handled it differently - maybe with captions.



I originate from Chennai and have travelled by Chennai Express at least a hundred times. I have not once noticed the scenes that unfold in the film. Yes, they are scenic, but absolutely inauthentic. Kathakali is the regional dance of Kerala; a Tamil woman wears her nose-ring on her right nostril; a guy carrying his wife up the staircase of a temple is probably borrowed from Karnataka. While Meenamma wears a nose-ring on the left, the other sequences don’t have anything to do with Chennai or Tamil Nadu. Well, these are the goof ups that I noticed. There could have been many more. Shoddy research indeed!



The final fight sequence was the extreme limit. Rahul is a ‘halwaai’ and quite small in stature. He is just a ‘common man’ as he screams to us at least 30 times during the film. He is forty. How could he fight thugs who are thrice his size just to prove his love? Bizarre!



Among all this mess, I was truly impressed with Deepika Padukone’s performance. The actress has obviously been working hard and improving her skills. She’s excellent as Meenalochani despite the stupid accent. In fact, it quite adds to her charms. And she looks gorgeous too! Kudos Deepika! You are truly a Bollywood Queen today!



I would like to believe that Shah Rukh Khan is quite bright. Did he not see the final cut of the film? Anyone with half the intelligence would have seen it for the crack-pot film that it is. The film will probably appeal the people in the slums, thanks to its slapstick humour and sickle-wielding thugs.



While SRK has grown in years, it does not appear that he has matured as an actor. If you want to do romance, do one as a fifty-year-old or have a script written for you in the lines of Amitabh Bachchan’s Cheeni Kum . Do not torture us with this kind of a stupid film.



VERDICT: Watch it at your own risk



RATING: ** Shaky (one star belongs to Deepika Padukone and none to SRK)



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super

Sharing: 6D THEATRE @ R-City Mall

Vini had an office programme at R-City Mall on Friday last. She went early to reach there before two pm. I left later and got there by 5 pm. The crowd was incredible as it was Eid. It took me a while to enter the compound.



I waited for her programme to get over outside Starbucks while I read a book – The Krishna Key. I attended the tail end of their show and then we took off checking out what R-City Mall had to offer.



One of the attractions was 6D Theatre. I am not sure what they mean by 6D. But we decided to check it out anyway. The tickets came for Rs. 150 per person for a half an hour show. I have been to one such show at Imax Wadala some years back.



We got in at 8.15 and took our seats. They gave us 3D glasses. We had been warned that the seats would move and we would feel sprays of water as well as air blown into our faces. All of that happened and it was such fun! I have not laughed so much since long. Vini kept swearing as she got scared a few times. I had promised myself that I would close my eyes if I got afraid. Well, I did not bother as it was anything but frightening.







There were three small movies. The first – Snowy Rocket Mission – was of a rocket travelling too close to the surface on snowbound peaks. We escaped so many near-crashes. It was exciting as I could feel my body moving in tune as if I was piloting the craft myself.



The second was in a jungle – African Jungle Safari. It was quite pathetic with a couple of spiders, a prehistoric mammoth and a few snakes. But quite amusing!



The third was the best of the lot – Roller Coaster. It was a roller-coaster ride. The only time I sat on a real one at Esselworld, I had sworn to myself never to take this type of ride again. But this virtual trip was simply fabulous, with my feet barely a few inches from the floor.



Actually speaking, all the three films were of mediocre quality. But what the hell! It was pure unadulterated enjoyment. I felt like a kid.

Film Review: BAJATEY RAHO

The first prize goes to Dolly Ahluwalia who is just superb as Mrs. Baweja



Cast: Vinay Pathak, Ranveer Shorey, Dolly Ahluwalia, Tusshar Kapoor, Ravi Kishan, Vishakha Singh

Director: Shashant Shah



I was not sure that I wanted to watch the film after I read Mumbai Mirror’s review. But Venkat was keen on seeing a movie and there was not much of a choice during the weekend. I have to say that Bajatey Raho was not a bad film at all.



THE STORY



Sabharwal (Ravi Kishan) is a ruthless businessman who is also a fraud. Using the honest Baweja and Saira as front men, he gets the public to invest cash in his bank to the tune of 15 crore. The money disappears and Baweja and Saira are arrested. Baweja dies of cardiac arrest while Saira languishes in jail. The cheated public file cases against Mrs. Baweja (Dolly Ahluwalia), her son Sukhi (Tusshar Kapoor) and Saira’s husband Mintoo (Vinay Pathak). That’s when the three of them get together with Ballu (Ranvir Shorey) to get the money back from Sabharwal a la ‘ Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less ’ style.



MY PERCEPTION



The film is not great but makes for a fun watch. As far as acting goes, Dolly Ahluwalia is simply superb as Mrs. Baweja. I thought she was really good in Vicky Donor . She’s as good if not better in this film.



Ravi Kishan as the villain was simply superb. His irritating smirk goes a long way in making the character so real.



The rest of the cast were not too bad. The best part of the film was its length - just an hour and 47 minutes.



VERDICT: It’s worth a see if you don’t mind shelling out the cash.



RATING: ***Smart



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super

eBook Review: A NEWLYWED’S ADVENTURES IN MARRIED LAND By Shweta Ganesh Kumar

This story is all about the newly married Mythili adjusting to her life in Philippines along with her husband Siddharth who works for a call centre there. Mythili used to be a crime reporter in Bangalore and being idle does not suit her at all. Then there are the other expat wives who lead lives of leisure. Mythili finds it very difficult to fit in. With too much time on her hands and only gossiping women for company, Mythili finds life totally frustrating. Will her marriage work?



The story runs along the lines of Alice in Wonderland and has been written well. But… the first half a dozen chapters are dedicated to Mythili’s rants, making the reader wonder whether there is going to be any kind of a solution at all. I began to fidget and was not very sure I wanted to continue reading.



Creativity is something unique and a story is the sole creation of the author. I absolutely agree. But the way I see it, as one reads a story, the scenes should play out in front of one’s mind’s eye.



This one is in the form of a narrative where Mythili becomes a story teller who keeps talking about her life. I could not visualise what was happening. It was more like looking into Mythili’s head all the time. More dialogues and less of narrative make for an interesting read.



This is a romance novella. I wish there had been more about the relationship between Mythili and Siddharth other than their meeting on and off.



Shweta Ganesh Kumar is already a bestselling published author and I am sure she knows what sells best. I suppose this novel should work for a lot of people.



Click Here to purchase your copy of the eBook A NEWLYWED’S ADVENTURES IN MARRIED LAND By Shweta Ganesh Kumar on Indireads . 

Recipe: GUJARATI MASALA

Gujarati Masala

I managed to get the Garam Masala  (Punjabi-style) recipe. Later, I could buy the Maharashtrian masala readymade during an exhibition at Bandra Kurla Complex. But the Gujarati masala had been eluding me since many years.



I have a few Gujju friends from whom I tried to learn this one. But they used to get the masala from their hometown in Gujarat and none of them knew how to make it. I suppose it is something like the sambar powder form Tamil Nadu. Most of the people get it directly from their families living in that state and do not have a clue about the ingredients that go in it.



I prefer to make fresh masalas at home as the food tastes much better. Since I have the luxury of time on my hands, life is a lot easier, of course.





Roasted ingredients

Luckily for me, a Gujarati family have moved into the flat across mine and the daughter-in-law Pratiksha was only too ready to help me with this recipe. She gave me the names of the ingredients a few days ago. As I began to get the ingredients together, I realised that she had not given me the proportion. I did not want to disturb her in the morning as she has a school-going son. So, I just prayed and put stuff together. The result was a super-delicious Gujarati Masala that tasted heavenly when added to the cauliflower-peas sabzi that I made today.



INGREDIENTS



Red chillies – 10

Green chillies – 10 (broken into 2-3 pieces each)

Bay Leaves (Tej Patta) – 6 (broken into pieces)

Curry Leaves – a handful

Black Pepper – 2 tbsp

Jeera – 2 tbsp

Cloves – 15

Cinnamon – 1” piece





Cauliflower-Peas Sabzi

METHOD



Take a kadai and dry roast the ingredients one by one. Please ensure that the green chillies are broken into pieces. If you drop full green chillies on to a hot saucepan, the chances are high that the chillies might burst in your face.



Cool the ingredients before grinding them dry into a coarse powder. The Gujarati Masala should be stored in an airtight container in the freezer as it might not survive if kept outside at room temperature.



You can add about 2 tsp for about a kilo of sabzi. Use more or less depending on how spicy you want the sabzi to be.



The Gujarati Masala has a superb aroma!

eBook Review: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY by Parul Tyagi

I just loved the ebook – LOVE WILL FIND A WAY by Parul Tyagi.



Prabhat is married to Meeta. While Meeta adores her husband, Prabhat is just adjusting to this way of life. He had loved Nitya from since his school days. Then why are they not married? Suddenly, on meeting someone from his past, Prabhat feels torn between the need to meet Nitya and betraying his wife. That’s when Meeta comes forward to support her husband. She would rather have a husband who loves her completely than someone who feels duty bound to stay with her. But what will be the state of Meeta’s life be once she sets out on the journey along with her husband to trace the love of his life?



I could not move away from my computer to even stop for lunch once I began reading this story. I felt torn along with Prabhu as he oscillated between right and wrong. Nitya’s character was quite simple. But the others had so many layers. I just adored Meeta. Such wisdom! I could so understand her view point. She does not want to live her life in half measures. And what she is ready to do to set it right! Amazing character, superbly etched. And the story almost had me biting my nails till I reached the last chapter, when I broke down crying like a baby.



The title LOVE WILL FIND A WAY is perfect for the story. I am amazed! Excellent work Parul Tyagi! I seriously am keen to read your next. Wish you the very best.



I have to congratulate Amal Fatima Uppal for creating the perfect cover for this book.



Quote from the book that I thoroughly enjoyed:



“I’ll be happier than you. Right now there are three of us unable to have what we want. When you are with her, at least two of us will have found the meaning of their existence and the third will be instrumental in making that discovery,” Meeta replied.



Click Here to purchase your copy of LOVE WILL FIND A WAY by Parul Tyagi on Indireads

Book Review: THE TOWER OF SILENCE by Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier ‘Chaiwala’

I have Indiblogger and Harper Collins to thank for the opportunity to read and review The Tower of Silence by Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier ‘Chaiwala’.



THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY



The book has an Introduction by Editor Gyan Prakash that is 25 pages long. Unfazed, I read it completely only to realise that the journey of the editor while tracing the book is totally fascinating. In fact, it was like a mini book in itself.



I was hooked right from the beginning as Gyan Prakash happened upon a part of the script of The Tower of Silence and later his search in the many libraries of Mumbai as well as his search for Phiroshaw Jamsetjee and his lineage among the Parsee community living in the city.



Harper Collins website says…



A long-lost Sexton Blake mystery, 1920s detective fiction at its best!



Historian Gyan Prakash of Princeton University stumbled upon part of the unpublished manuscript of Tower of Silence by Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier (or Chaiwala, as he called himself) in the British Library. After scouring several Mumbai libraries, he found the missing pages.



It is a thrilling tale that begins on a blistering April afternoon in Poona with the click of a camera shutter. An aerial photograph is taken from a small aircraft flying directly over the Tower of Silence. The Zoroastrian community is thrown into turmoil and horrified grief at this heinous act.



Beram, a suave wealthy man who drives around in a Rolls Royce but is a devout Parsee, decides to exact revenge. Thus begins a sensational cat-and-mouse game between Beram and Sexton Blake, England’s most famous detective.



MY PERCEPTION



After the attention-grabbing introduction, I found it a mite difficult getting into the story. So, it took me a few days to actually begin reading the book. But once I got my teeth into it, it turned out to be very absorbing and I managed to read it fast.



The language is quaint fitting in with that used in the 1920s. I enjoyed reading about ‘Bombay’ and ‘Poona’. To be truthful, I miss ‘Bombay’.



Then there were these details about the Parsee community that I had never known. The book is a mine of information about them and one can be confident about its authenticity considering that the book was written by a Parsee. It makes for a very interesting read.



The main characters – Beram and Sexton Blake – are well etched. While Sexton Blake is a detective who appears in many mystery thrillers by different authors during the 20th century, Beram is unique to The Tower of Silence.



The story takes the reader through many prominent cities in England, Burma and India – London, Liverpool, Manchester, Burma, Bombay and Poona. Fast paced, the book keeps the reader wonder how Beram and Blake will outwit each other in the next scene.



While Sexton Blake is doing his best to save the lives of the people who have offended the Parsee religious community, we wonder whether Beram and his people would be cruel enough to kill in the name of their religion. The end of the story truly restored my faith in humanity.



An interesting book that brings alive the lives of Parsees during the British Raj!



Click Here to read an interesting article about The Tower of Silence by Phiroshaw Jamsetjee Chevalier ‘Chaiwala’. The article has been penned by Eunice de Souza.

Film Review: BHAAG MILKHA BHAAG

No other actor could have done the role better than Farhan Akhtar!



Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Pavan Malhotra, Yograj Singh, Prakash Raj, Master Japtej Singh

Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra



I was kind of wary of going to this film as I had a niggling doubt that it might be in the likes of a documentary. Finally, Farhan Akhtar tipped the scales and I decided to go with the rest of my family who were going to see it anyway.



THE STORY



The film is based on The Flying Sikh Milkha Singh’s life story. It begins with the Rome Olympics in 1960. Milkha Singh (Farhan Akhtar) fails to win the 400 m and all the Indian newspapers write him off. Actually, on the verge of victory, Milkha recalls a horrifying incident from childhood and turns back to look, losing the race.



When a race is organised between Pakistan and India to be hosted by the former country, Milkha refuses to take part. A cabinet member decides to go to Chandigarh to persuade Milkha to run again for his country. He meets Milkha’s coach Gurudev Singh (Pavan Malhotra) on the train.



The rest of the movie is about Gurudev Singh narrating the story of Milkha Singh’s life and how he becomes The Flying Sikh.



MY PERCEPTION



Farhan Akhtar – there could not have been a better choice for the role of Milkha Singh, I am sure. He was just amazing and it’s so obvious that the actor has worked fantastically hard to fit into the role.



The races, the excitement, the adrenalin rush, the disappointments – every scene touches the viewer’s heart.



Then there is the flashback into Milkha Singh’s horrendous childhood and the suffering he and his family undergo during the partition. Very well sequenced and portrayed. Even the child actor (Master Japtej Singh) playing the young Milkha Singh has played his part very well.



Pavan Malhotra as Coach Gurudev Singh has done exceedingly well. But I liked Yograj Singh (Indian Coach Ranveer Singh) even better. He was just perfect for his role.



Divya Dutta deserves a special mention. We keep seeing this actress in small roles from time to time. In this, she has a fairly chunky role and performance is simply superb.



Sonam was cute in her minuscule role. Prakash Raj also has a small role and he has done it well.



I almost got up to dance to the song ‘Maston Ka Jhund’. It had such a catchy beat and the dancers were good too.



I was a mite worried that the running time of the movie was 3 hrs plus 7 minutes, but the film moved fast and did not stagnate at any point.



While Farhan Akhtar has given an outstanding presentation throughout the film, the scene in which Milkha breaks down when he visits his home in Pakistan is the best. It was heartbreaking to watch him as he faces his childhood traumas.



VERDICT: Overall, an excellent movie that’s a must watch. I believe it has also been made ‘tax free’ now.



RATING: ****Snazzy



* Silly

** Shaky

*** Smart

**** Snazzy

***** Super

Recipe: VEG-CHEESE PIZZA

Pizza Wedge

I prefer the Indianised version of pizzas to what Domino’s has to offer. While these are available in the restaurants nearby, it’s way more fun to make them at home. I don’t have an oven and so managed to make them on a Tawa. They turned out delicious.



INGREDIENTS



Readymade Pizza Base – 4

Capsicum – 2 (cut in rings)

Onion – 1 (cut in lengths)

Cheese – grated (4 tbsp per pizza)



For sauce



Tomatoes – 8 (large) (chopped)

Onions – 2 (chopped)

Carom Seeds – ¼ tsp

Green Chillies – 4

Garlic – 8-10

Salt to taste

Olive Oil – 2 tsp

American Corn – 1 packet

Fun Foods  Pizza Topping – 2 tbsp



METHOD



1. Boil the corn in a bowl of water along with salt. Drain the water completely once cooked.

2. Grind green chillies and garlic into a coarse paste.

3. Heat oil – you can use regular cooking oil if you don’t have olive oil – on a medium flame. Add the carom seeds and then the chilli-garlic paste.

4. Cook for a couple of minutes before adding chopped onions.

5. Once onions turn golden brown add tomatoes and salt. Cook well.

6. Mash the sauce well before adding the boiled corn and Fun Foods Pizza Topping.

7. Cook for two more minutes before switching off.









8. Spread the sauce liberally over the readymade pizza base.

9. The next layer with be the capsicum rings.

10. Spread the onions over the capsicum.

11. Top it with grated cheese.

12. Heat a tawa – an iron skillet is preferred as the pizza can be slow-cooked to perfection on this – and cook the pizza on it. Keep it covered and check it from time to time. It should be cooked till the cheese begins to melt. The gas should be kept on a very low flame or the pizza will get burnt.



Cut into wedges and serve hot. The yummy pizza can be had with ketchup or just by itself, the way I prefer it.