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Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Chapter III We Return to Light review: Where music dances with light
It was in 2023 that sitar player Anoushka Shankar decided to capture the sublimity of the moments fleeting past her. She consciously decided to let go of 'the analysis of the moments from a future vantage point' and capture the here and now instead. The result has been three chapters of introspective music, all from different mindsets and geographies. Across the trilogy, Anoushka has tried to craft a continual yet independent sonic narrative, charting an emotional journey through joy of simple moments, uncertainty and grief, and then awakening. While in Chapter 1: Forever, For Now (2023), the sparse pieces emerged from an afternoon with her children in the garden of her London home, Chapter 2: How Dark it is Before Dawn moved to the night and looked at its deeper textures as well as of the mind where the shadows of the past still lingered. Chapter 3: We Return to Light, conceptually, is a return to dawn as well as the basics. Three different producers, different geographies that are home in different ways and different ideas that are still woven into a thread. A collaboration with Alam Khan, US-based son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the album is a reminder of their fathers: Pt Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar, whose duets have remained a stuff of lore. This, I feel, was going to be the tranquil release for her. While it does echo the bond, and the interplay of the sarod and sitar sounds elegant, some of it feels a little embryonic, like it needed more time. It drifts and you want to not go along sometimes. But what's absolutely gorgeous is the title track, based on raag Maanj Khamaj, often played by their fathers. It shimmers like the dawn Anoushka seeks. Hiraeth (meaning deep longing in Welsh) is another piece that stays. In raag Palash Kaafi, composed by her father, it's perhaps Anoushka's expression of her yearning for him. Dancing on Scorched Earth is a meditative piece in the morning glory that is Ramkali. This is where Korwar sounds fabulous. The other pieces like We burn so brightly, Daybreak and Amrita, for me, fall in the ambient category. They all feel like safe play and one wishes it went beyond the sheltered and into the vulnerable that Anoushka does so well. One is appreciative of how Anoushka has used her own life to represent Hindustani classical music, something that almost never happens in the relatively strict space. From the sadness of a painful past (her partner's infidelity, divorce, many surgeries, finally speaking about her childhood sexual abuse), which resulted in very poignant music, Anoushka is forging ahead. We will be waiting for the music that comes after this transformative journey. Artistes: Anoushka Shankar, Alam Khan, Sarathy Korwar Label: LEITER Available on: Spotify Rating: Three stars
Gulf News
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf News
Gong Hyo-jin defends When the Stars Gossip from backlash and controversial finale: ‘It wasn't easy to understand'
Actress Gong Hyo-jin recently shared her reflections on When the Stars Gossip, a high-budget K-drama with an estimated production cost of 50 billion KRW (approximately $36 million USD). In a video posted on April 20 to her YouTube channel For Now, Gong Hyo-jin, titled 'It's a bit late, but it's something I've been wanting to talk about,' the actress sat down with her team in a casual setting—chopping onions and chatting—while revisiting her experience filming the ambitious series, which aired on tvN and concluded in February. Despite its star-studded cast and unique setting, the drama only managed to garner modest ratings, peaking in the low 2% range. In the show, Hyo-jin, played Eve Kim, an astronaut who encounters OB-GYN doctor Gong Ryong (played by Lee Min-ho) aboard a zero-gravity space station. Reflecting on the experience, she spoke candidly about the challenges and complexity of the project. 'The entire process of making this drama was completely new to me. It was pre-produced, with some parts going through two years of post-production. The story itself was quite complex—I can imagine it wasn't easy for viewers to fully understand.' Hyo-jin also shed light on the deeper themes behind the storyline, particularly the central question posed by the writers: 'From the beginning, the writer wanted to explore the idea of creating life. The main question was: 'Can people continue their lineage in zero gravity?' I played a character involved in that kind of research.' When the production team raised concerns about whether the concept of space might be too early for Korean dramas, Hyo-jin responded, 'Whenever something new is introduced, it's met with divided opinions. Whether it succeeds in the future depends on the hard work of the people who take the first steps, even if no one acknowledges them at the time.' The show's controversial finale also became a topic of conversation, particularly the emotional moment when Eve Kim dies just a day after giving birth. Gong admitted it was a difficult arc, especially for some audiences: 'Whenever the main character dies in the finale, people have mixed feelings. Even my mom struggled with it. I think it was a bit too heavy for older viewers to fully digest.' She also shared some behind-the-scenes details about the intense and physically draining filming process: 'Except for one episode, the entire series was set in space. Filming the zero-gravity scenes took forever—sometimes over two months just for one episode. I was suspended on wires for 15 hours a day. I remember yelling, 'Please just let me down!' because the blood flow in my body was so poor.' Despite the emotional and physical toll, Gong wrapped up her reflections on a grateful note: 'It's amazing that we filmed for a whole year. By the second month of shooting, I was already worried—'Will this even make it to air?' In the end, we were just thankful that the show actually got released.'
