Caffe Tonino, Connaught Place: A Review

Picture courtesy: megavenues.com

I visited this cute café after a shopping spree with my cousin. It's conveniently located right opposite the Connaught High Street building in Connaught Place, which currently houses a massive H&M store. Thus, the café is ideal for a post-shopping bite.

It’s very welcoming with its picturesque décor and well-lit atmosphere. The staff is friendly, courteous and concerned about your experience without being too pushy. The dishes are reasonably priced which is very welcome in the age of GST!

Run by the team behind the iconic Tonino’s restaurant in Mehrauli, the café describes itself as a “Tuscan villa style cafe with tiled floors and brick walls offering authentic Italian dishes.” These high claims elicit high expectations. My cousin ordered the Golden Chicken Burger, which was delicious. They happily customized it for us by removing all vegetables as per preference. Served with Cajun fries, it made for a filling and tasty lunch.

I ordered the Peri Peri chicken, which the wait staff warned was extremely spicy. I asked for them to tone down the spices to a medium level. My dish arrived with three medium sized pieces of chicken, Cajun fries and a side salad. Unfortunately the chicken was extremely spicy, despite my request. Moreover, it was tough, undercooked and had a strange taste. I had to leave the dish after ploughing my way through one piece. The fries were delicious and the salad was satisfactory, so I wasn’t left hungry.

Despite my dissatisfaction, I was willing to pay the full bill, but the staff made sure the price of the chicken was removed. This kind of service deserves a special mention. I was ready to leave the restaurant with a flavor of disappointment in my mouth; instead I left with a smile!

Price of two dishes and 2 cokes: Rs. 1200/-

Price of one dish and 2 cokes: Rs. 770/-

Restaurant rating: 3.5/5

Mughal-E-Azam: A Stunning Musical Extravaganza!

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Expectations are high when K. Asif’s legendary classic from the silver screen is adapted to a musical play. After six successful runs in Mumbai, Feroz Abbas Khan’s directorial venture, Mughal-E-Azam, has finally arrived in Delhi. Playing at the majorly revamped Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, it is a spectacle of grand measure, a fitting tribute to the original.

Though it took 7 years to make the movie, this play was put together in a record 2.5 months, perhaps the quickest ever for a show of this standard. I was enthralled by the phenomenal feat of live singing and masterful dancing. It is a huge achievement to consistently maintain energy levels throughout 2 hours and 45 minutes.

In my opinion, the true strength of the show is in its impeccable timing. The sets were transformed seamlessly; costume changes were flawless; and the dancers moved from scene to scene, with a fluidity one wouldn’t think possible.

Some of the actors impressed more than others. Anarkali, played by singer Priyanka Barve was outstanding. Her ability to emote through her immaculate singing stood her in good stead. The characters of Jodha Bai, played by TV actress Sonal Jha; and Bahar, played by Pratibha Singh Baghel, performed well. Akbar, played by Nissar Khan was impressive but fell short in comparison to the great Prithviraj Kapoor, who played Akbar in the original. Salim (played by Dhanveer Singh) was disappointing as he lacked a strong voice. One would imagine a more commanding voice for the heir apparent to the kingdom of Hindustan (or at least the actor playing him!)

However, the show isn’t marketed for its acting prowess. The real stars are the classically trained kathak dancers. Their ability to breathe life into scenes and faultless movements were breathtaking. Some truly impressive scenes include the evergreen “Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya”, the stunning qawaali of “Teri Mehfil Mein”, and the war scene where the fighting was vividly portrayed through dance. Kudos to the brilliant choreographer, Mayuri Upadhya.

Manish Malhotra has really outdone himself on the costumes. Each piece stood out for its aesthetic brilliance as well as its subtle imagery. In fact, every scene was a veritable visual treat. The digitally enhanced sets designed by Neil Patel, the projections by John Narun and the lighting by David Lander were all key contributors. Piyush Kanojia did a wonderful job recreating the magic of the original melodies, as well as lending a dramatic background score. The Line Production team of ‘Rapid Waters Pvt. Ltd’ including Namrata Ahmed and Suparna Chakravarti was instrumental in putting together this wonderful event.

There were a few minor flaws. In all its grandeur, it didn’t fully capture the poignancy of the original story. The tickets were very expensive, but that’s understandable, with the amount of time and effort invested in its creation. Some of the cast members need to be changed. Once these issues are addressed, the show will grow from strength to strength.

I highly recommend watching this memorable spectacle, on till the 17^th of September. Fans of the movie will enjoy reliving the decadence of the original, and a first-time audience will enjoy the resplendence of every aspect.

Play rating: 4/5 stars

Picture courtesy: www.radioandmusic.com

"Jagga Jasoos"- A Waste of Time and Money!

Jagga Jasoos is a nearly three-hour long rollercoaster ride. Like all rides it has its ups and downs with a couple of major loops thrown in. It starts off well, with a rather short-skirted Katrina Kaif, singing the story of Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor) to a bunch of children visiting the Kolkata Book Fair. As she describes his many feats of brilliant detection, the audience finds itself invested in the story of this lovable character. However, once the story builds up and hops across confusing timelines, the movie becomes simply tedious.

It is highly ambitious to combine a detective thriller with a traditional musical format. When that's topped with emotional family drama, you have a recipe for disaster. A younger Jagga is introduced as an abandoned orphan in a hospital in West Bengal. He is an endearing child that stammers and hence does not have the confidence to speak. When he saves a man (played by an earnest Saswata Chatterjee) from a near-fatal fall off a train, he is adopted by this man. His new father encourages him to sing in order to communicate and imparts various important life skills.

Kapoor grows to be a curious and enterprising young boy who loves solving mysteries, two of which are chronicled in the first half of the film. The second half of the movie takes Kapoor to Mombaca on a wild goose chase, with the help of Kaif (who he has met on an earlier adventure). This is when the film hits the realms of ridiculousness. The wild antics of two children in pursuit of an international criminal does not make for believable cinema.

Anurag Basu has tried to weave together two very distinct story lines and has failed miserably. He could have explored the idea of a singing detective. Or he could have explored the idea of a boy in search of his father, uncovering a massive international crime while at it. There was no need for lopping them together. The movie was extremely long and the last half hour dragged to the point where most people just walked out of the hall. The huge disconnect between the first and second halves of the film is glaringly apparent.

Credit must be given to the incredible cinematography by S. Ravi Verman. The almost- photograph like images made for a stunning visual treat. A couple of songs including “Khana Khake, Daru Peeke, Chale Gaye” and “Galti Se Mistake” stand out for their quirkiness.

Ranbir Kapoor is phenomenal. He sings, dances and acts effortlessly and his talents are completely wasted in this movie. Katrina Kaif has never been more stony-faced and was an unnecessary addition. Both Chatterjee and Shah performed their roles well as did the child actor playing a younger Jagga. Nawazuddin Siddiqui made an effective guest appearance.

The biggest failing of the movie was the unnecessary weaving together of many plotlines. Kapoor does an admirable job of pulling his weight along but does not make a believable 18 year old. It makes you question the decision to make him a school going child in the first place. Anurag Basu gets a definite thumbs down for converting a potentially interesting story into a bad movie. Here’s hoping if he ever does come out with a sequel (as was indicated in the film), he sticks to what he understands best- the melodrama.

Film rating: 1.5/5 stars

Picture courtesy: www.indianexpress.com