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The Hindu
2 days ago
- The Hindu
On significant events
Daily Quiz | On significant events Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit YOUR SCORE 0 /5 RETAKE THE QUIZ 1 / 5 | National Handloom Day is celebrated every year on August 7 to honour the efforts of Indian artisans and the handloom-weaving community. Since which year has the day been celebrated, and where was the first celebration held? DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : 2015 and Chennai SHOW ANSWER 2 / 5 | A member of a prominent Bengali family and a noted painter was born on August 7 in 1871. Notably, his brother died on August 7 in 1941. Identify the person. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Abanindranath Tagore SHOW ANSWER 3 / 5 | A hit song from this artist's debut album was released on August 7 in 2009. The singer recently promised to change the opening lyric of the song, which mentions music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Name the song and the album DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Tik Tok and Animal SHOW ANSWER 4 / 5 | This high wire walker rose to fame on August 7 in 1974 when he performed an unauthorised crossing between two towers about 1,350 feet above the ground. He claimed to have made eight crossings in 45 minutes. Identify the building. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : win towers of the World Trade Center SHOW ANSWER
India Today
3 days ago
- India Today
Mamata's Bangla film diktat and the Devdas syndrome
It was Assamese filmmaker Pramathesh Chandra Barua who turned Sarat Chandra's Devdas into a movie in 1935 and made the tragic hero a legend. The Bengali film in which Barua played the eponymous hero was an instant commercial hit, and spawned several Hindi versions over the decades but couldn't match the OG film's success. Devdas isn't just a film but has come to represent the journey of films in India. Devdas has also become synonymous with a person who wallows in Devdas of 1935 witnessed success when the Bengali film industry was known worldwide. It is the same industry that has slid and needs corralling from the giant Hindi film industry, August 13, the West Bengal government of Mamata Banerjee made it a must for theatres in the state to screen Bangla films with at least one screening in the prime time slot of 3 PM to 9 pm. Bangla films every day, 365 days of the year. This sounds like a diktat, and a symptomatic treatment of deep-rooted issues. But some industry experts have lauded Bengal's move, calling it much-needed."Film business is best left to the law of demand and supply," says Avijit Ghosh, senior journalist and author of multiple books on Indian cinema."It is important to nurture local film industries, but this is not the right way," Ghosh tells India Today Digital. He says "Subsidising shooting, giving easy loans to producers, and tax-free status to films" are better ways to boost regional film Borpujari, a filmmaker who has won the National Film Award twice, welcomes West Bengal's decision. He says even European nations have strong film policies to support local cinema to prevent them from being gobbled up by idea is to give equal screening opportunity to regional films over the Hindi film the success of Devdas in Bengali in 1935, Barua directed the Hindi version of the film the following year with KL Saigal in the lead. That didn't match the original film's by 1939, the Bengali film industry, based in Calcutta (now Kolkata) was to hit a rough patch from which it would never return to its SCREEN RESERVATION MIGHT HELP REGIONAL CINEMATalking about the Bengal government's move, Borpujari sites Maharashtra's example."Maharashtra already has something like this, and it has benefitted the Marathi film industry to a great extent, bringing in audiences to the theatres," Borpujari says such steps are needed even for Assam, his native state, as it is a major struggle to get screening space in the face of Bollywood film releases which dominate all screen space due to bulk regional films doing well have to be pulled down from theatres because of Bollywood's dominance a very good step to support local cinema. Assam needs something like this. Though Assam doesn't yet produce as many films as Bengal or Maharashtra per year, a workable model needs to be found," suggests move to boost the Marathi film industry by reserving screen time has worked because of the state's film-making infrastructure, which ironically, has developed with the rise of reservation in Bengal might be fine, but does the Bangla film industry produce enough movies to attract June, 13 Bangla movies vied for theatre space with filmmakers questioning why they weren't getting enough shows, according to a report in The Times of big question is if good-quality content is available as it has been a complaint that the industry was resorting to cheap remakes of South blockbusters. When the original films are available on OTT, will anyone go to the theatres to watch remakes? Will lack of good content turn theatres into ghost buildings?EXODUS OF TALENT AND BENGAL GOVT'S FILM DIRECTIVEAvijit Ghosh, whose many books include Cinema Bhojpuri, says, "Putting the onus on film distributors and theatres isn't a democratic way of encouraging local films".advertisement"In the past, different states have imposed similar diktats with indifferent results," he adds, hinting that the outcome might not really be positive for the Bangla film fact, Assam, during the peak of Ulfa-led insurgency, saw a ban on Hindi movies after threats from the outfit. Dozens of theatres shut too witnessed an undeclared ban on Hindi movie screenings for two decades. People defied the ban in 2023 to watch the Vicky-Kaushal starrer Uri, which was based on India's surgical Ghosh suggests instead of a blanket diktat is that the Bengal government diagnose the deep-rooted problems before offering a treatment."The Bengal government should be looking deeper into the problems ailing the film industry, which was once famous globally," Ghosh tells India Today Bengali film industry, now referred to as Tollywood, was India's foremost till around 1939, when World War II threat of aerial bombing of Calcutta by Japanese forces during WW II got theatres in the city to shutter and industry stalwarts to relocate to Bombay (now Mumbai).The impact of this migration was clearly visible in the current state of the Bangla film the wartime exodus of talent to Bombay, Bengal's film industry struggled to reclaim its former dominance, but it retained cultural prestige through the rise of the parallel cinema movement in the 1970s and like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Ritwik Ghatak kept Bangla cinema in the global conversation, while commercial hits from Uttam Kumar to Prosenjit Chatterjee drew mass audiences at over the last two decades, the industry has been plagued by an overreliance on formulaic remakes of South Indian blockbusters, leading to creative stagnation. Srijit Mukherji's arrival briefly offered a breath of fresh air, blending intelligent storytelling with box-office appeal. Yet, despite occasional good films, the industry has largely continued down the same repetitive path. It has been struggling to balance artistry with mass TURNS ACTORS INTO POLITICIANSIf Bangla film industry is to be resurrected, it has to be supported with financing and infrastructure, and not knee-jerk solutions."These methods [resorted to by Bengal] are shortcuts, which seek to avoid the real issue for populist reasons," says Ghosh, the author of When Ardh Satya Met Himmatwala: The Many Lives of timing of the move by the Trinamool Congress-led state government makes one question the Bengal is headed for Assembly election in 2026, and Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool is taking on the BJP with 'Bhasha Andolan' or language agitation as a key Congress's greatest contribution to Bengals film industry is to turn stars into Moon Moon Sen and Dipankar Dey to Soham Chakraborty, Dev, Nusrat Jahan, Mimi Chakraborty, Neel Bhattacharya and Saayoni Ghosh, the list is really also blame Trinamool's nepotism and politics of vengeance against actors and filmmakers among the reasons for the slide in the industry, which was gathering some pace since is exactly why the move of screen reservation is accused of being motivated by politics and wallowing in self-pity, just like the tragic hero, is a metaphor for loser biggest tragedy with Devdas is that though many around him sympathise with him, no one seems resolute enough to make him kick the Devdas, the Bangla film industry too needs help and support, not sympathy. Bangla filmmakers are inheritors of legends like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh and Aparna Sen. The way ahead should be one of pride, not of self-pity.- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Dark comedy to star roasts: What's got Kolkata going LOL
Kolkata's stand-up comedy scene is experiencing significant growth, marked by larger audiences and a growing appetite for bolder humor, including roasts. The city's unique cultural identity shapes its comedic preferences, with audiences appreciating intelligent and witty jokes that often incorporate elements of history and art. This evolution reflects a broader acceptance of diverse comedic styles and edgier content within Kolkata. Kolkata's stand-up comedy scene is witnessing a boom with packed houses, bolder jokes, and a growing taste for 'roasts'. From sparsely attended shows to a buzzing calendar of ticketed events, audiences are embracing diverse styles of humour like never before. CT spoke to stand-up comics, and celebritiess who attended roast shows to explore the surge in popularity and how the city's cultural flavour shapes its comedy. 'Kolkata has always been okay with laughing at itself' Kolkata's stand-up scene is booming, driven by a receptive audience. 'Kolkata has always been okay laughing at itself,' says Sahil Agarwal, a stand-up comic and a member of a city comedy club, noting the city's interest in dark & roasting. Sayan Podder, a member of another club adds that social media reels have amplified this popularity, reflecting the city's appetite for edgier comedy styles. Edgier jokes and bigger crowds Kolkata's comedy scene has transformed dramatically, growing from a single 30-seater show that struggled to draw crowds to a bustling circuit hosting 4–5 shows a month and weekly ticketed open mics. 'Few years ago, there used to be just one show,' recalls Sarnajit Bala, a stand-up comic. Now, audiences are not only turning up in greater numbers but also embracing a wider range of styles. Sayan adds, 'Compared to five years ago, people have become a bit more open to roasting,' showing a growing willingness among audiences to embrace edgier humour. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo 'This city loves intelligent jokes' Most performers are of the opinion that Kolkata's roast style reflects its intellectual heritage. 'What aloo is to Kolkata-style biryani, intelligence and wit are to Kolkata-style roast,' says Shiladitya Chatterjee, a stand-up comic, who recently roasted actor Ankush Hazra at a show. He also emphasised that the Kolkata audience loves to be pampered in an intelligent manner, and adds, 'We have to come up with jokes that have a touch of history & art, and resonates with the city's well-read crowd. ' Jokes that crack up Kolkata Political jokes Jokes on Bangla cinema Dark comedy Roasts Being roasted at a comedy show means laughing at yourself publicly. It turns you into the punchline while making you feel like the life of the party – Nussrat Jahan, actress The demographics of the audience depends on the age of the stand-up comic, as it helps them resonate with them. People aged 22 to 45 regularly attend our comedy shows – Shiladitya Chatterjee Whether it's dark humour or roasts, the city audience is now more open to concepts than before, but there's still room to grow – Sahil Agarwal
