I am the best!!!

They say two women; esp. actresses can never be friends…hmmm…seems true to me! Few examples at the back of my mind are Ash-Katrina, Ash-Sonam, Priyanka-Kareena, Bipasha-Amisha, Sharmila-Mumtaz or Asha Parekh-Mumtaz etc. Everyone enjoys a cat-fight, don’t we? But these seem more media assembled than the verity. Out of all these and many more such female arch-rivals in the Hindi film industry, the ones who arrest you attention the most are Shabana-Smita and Madhuri-Sridevi…I do have my reasons before you allegate me of favoritism here too! All four, God’s favorite girls…let’s take chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 – Shabana and Smita…till death do us apart

Their rivalry is an epic! It becomes more interesting coz of the similarities these two possess with each other. It’s eerie in a way.  

Let me begin with the obvious one…both of their names start with “S”, coincidence? Well, Universe has its ways. Now more factual, Shabana got introduced to the Hindi film industry by the God of filmmaking, Mr. Shyam Benegal with indubitably one of finest films of India, Ankur, back in 1974, which bagged her, her first National Award and paid her rich dividends. She proved her mettle with her first film itself, an enormously mature performance by an appallingly juvenile girl at the age of 21! Not only India but the entire world was drooling for more from Shabana Azmi. She had arrived…

Now it was Smita’s turn! A filmmaker spotted her on Doordarshan as a news reader and wanted to cast her in one of his films. Since he wasn’t too sure of her acting abilities, he took her in a children’s film called Charandas Chor as a test run! No prize for guessing, the director was indeed Mr. Benegal himself! After Charandas Chor, came the film which actually set the entire battlefield for the two queens. It was Nishant, where Smita was pitted against the senior Shabana for the first time. Though a slighter role than Shabana, surprisingly Smita firmly held her fort against her senior and made sure every single person notices her! Nishant was again a Shyam Benegal film. And then came Bhumika (1977)…a film which defines Smita Patil. Deservingly, Smita got her first National Award for the film and again, such a ripe performance by a girl who wasn’t even sure if she wants to be an actor! Of course, she had arrived too…

Apart from being introduced to the Hindi film industry by Mr. Benegal, getting their career defining roles in his films and winning National Awards for his films; they both had few other common bridges. Their co-stars…Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri and Anant Nag etc…they never took sides, they never hesitated to work with any of them.

In fact the awards were too used as weapons! If Smita got her second National Award, before Shabana, Shabana won them thrice in a row – a feat unparalled in the annals of the Hindi film industry!! Phew! Both did masala, commercial movies too like Namak Halal, Avtaar, Shakti and Amar Akbar Anthony etc. Both of them were favorites with Rajesh Khanna but Shabana was never cast opposite Amitabh till Smita was alive. So people felt that Smita had stolen the march there.

Another parallel which we can draw between the two is their love affairs with married men. While Smita’s turned into marriage with Raj Babbar, Shabana’s first didn’t quit work out with Shashi Kapoor but later, she also finally got settled with the much married Javed Akhtar.

And last but THE most important similitude between them – the gargantuan amount of talent! Even if they play just furniture in a scene, you WILL remember Shabana and Smita. Their allure and capacity was boundless.   

Their mentor, Mr. Shyam Benegal clearly declared Smita his favourite, he finds Smita more versatile. Well, like everyone else, I too have my favourite and it’s Shabana Azmi. Smita might be very adaptable but when it comes to drama, Shabana Azmi outdoes all the wars. Of course it’s my personal pick and I truly venerate Smita Patil’s faculty but it’s Shabana Azmi for me. I always saw Smita Patil besieged while finding her place in commercial Hindi song-dance routines but again, I’m just a fan, don’t know the nuances...

In their films together, Shabana was unambiguously first past the post. Nishant, Mandi and Arth…even though Smita totally got her share of accolades for her performances in these films, Shabana transcended every possible debate by now and had emerged as an apparent conqueror. In fact the whole industry looked equally curious to see/know Smita’s next attack. After Shabana was announced the winner of her 3^rd National Award for Khandhar, Mahesh Bhatt who directed both in Arth, rushed to Smita and apparently asked her, “She got her 3^rd! What are you doing?” To which she calmly countered, “I’m not here to win awards”. And they never worked together after Arth.

After Arth, came a lull interlude for Smita Patil…while she was doing Mirch Masala and Giddh, Shabana was growing global! With projects like Madame Sousatzka and The Bengali Night in her hands, there were also buzzing rumors of Shabana stealing Sparsh, Libaas and few other films from Smita. Shabana always preceded her standing of being the wily one. Though most affirmed Shabana to be winning the latter part of this mêlée but we would never know the last consequence as something unforeseen happened…Smita Patil died at the age of 30 and an era ended with her…I think I can take the privilege of talking for everyone here, if Smita Patil didn’t have died, Shabana Azmi could never be here where she is today. And on the other hand, her death actually made Smita Patil perpetual. So in a way, they both complimented each other coz without one another, neither of them would’ve been an institution. 


Shabana and Smita – till death did them apart…

CHAPTER 2 – Madhuri and Sridevi…clash of the Titans

Aah! The enmity of Ms Hawa Hawaii and the Dhak-Dhak girl was, is and always be legendary! It’s a saga that never ceased to bifurcate the fans. If one has the perfect comic timing then other had the gravity of the performance! And what makes their contention even more colossal? Of course the array of similarities between the two living legends!

Ok, so to begin with, both started their careers with a major flop. After Solvan Sawan in 1978, people loathed Sri and avowed that she could never make it in Bollywood. Something analogous happened to Madhuri Dixit after Abodh in 1984. Both took 4-5 years to give their first blockbuster…Sri with Himmatwala and Madhuri with Tezaab. Both were accomplished dancers though Madhuri here leads the torch with cosmic grace and divine dignity in her moves.

Well that’s not enough. Even personally, they had parallels. Sridevi was known for being reticent and unapproachable. She never wasted time, never socialized post shoot, never became over-friendly with her co-stars and never went public with her personal life. Madhuri was no different! Though never unapproachable, she always upheld a distance from everyone in the industry. She, remorselessly, always retorted that she doesn’t have “friends” in the industry but many well-wishers. She knew how to bound you back in your confines without being rude! There’re many instances where her male co-stars got the insinuation with her just one look! Actors like Salman who is famous to get carried away with most of his co-stars, tried his incorrigible flirtatious vibes with her too during Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, thinking now she must be more than comfortable post Saajan and Dil Tera Aashique…but all she needed was a look to push him back to his shell. Madhuri too was never very comfortable conversing about her personal life in public domain.

When it comes to hullabaloos, these two beauties were never a controversy’s child! During their entire careers, there were hardly any link-ups, only just as many rifts and bad mouthing. Here again, Madhuri seems to have conquered the field. Sridevi was whispered to be involved with Mithun Chakraborty and if the gossip mongers to be believed, these two also squirreled away to a temple to get married! Then she got involved with a much married man who produced many of her films, Boney Kapoor. Suddenly she was being judged and labeled as a home wrecker. But unnerved by all this negativity, she decided to get settled with a fat-ugly producer with lots of money and kids. The marriage shocked the nation…it was like princess kissed the frog but the supposed transformation never happened!

On the other hand, Madhuri was involved with the co-star Sanjay Dutt. He was utterly smitten by the epitome of beauty and used to behave like a kid in Madhuri’s presence! Known for his reckless nature and erratic life-style, Sanjay was a disciplined boy as soon as Madhuri used to walk in the sets! Such was the impact of her aura that he was compelled to propose her. This was during the last stages of his divorce so technically Madhuri didn’t come through their marriage. Industry was vibrating with the buzzing of Sanjay-Madhuri wedding soon but the unlooked for, actually happened…Sanjay Dutt got involved with the underworld and was framed as the liaison of the culprits of the 1993 blasts in Bombay. He was jailed and Madhuri chose to distant herself from a criminal…calculative and extremely smart, ruthless yet totally logical step. She was always clear in what she expects n wants from life. After that she never got drawn in with any other man until Ram happened. Unimaginably, the biggest actress of all time decided to get settled in an arranged marriage and live an inanely ordinary life abroad. Madhuri’s wedding news broke millions of Indian hearts as she married an NRI. If I remember correctly, 2 young men actually committed suicide post her wedding news broke. Not to mentioned, I was shattered and devastated too!

Madhuri-Sridevi rivalry was absolutely media constructed as they never crossed paths and never spoken ill about each other. Sridevi was the Numero Uno in 80s till Tezaab happened. While she was running high on her super stardom and amazing comic timing, someone was seeping her seeds quietly but confidently. Come 90s and a Tsunami named Madhuri Dixit blew the entire nation with her. She was churning AT LEAST one hit every year and was stamped as the “Lady Amitabh”. There were actresses and there was Madhuri Dixit. Juhi, Manisha, Pooja Bhatt, Karisma, Raveena, nothing could stop the Madhuri-storm.

The tables were totally turned! Where Sridevi, the highest paid actress of her time, used to get 30 lacs per film and Madhuri had to settle for 25 lacs but now Madhuri was at 40 and Sri had to go down to 25! The once Prima Dona of Bollywood was now struggling her way top. That’s when Sridevi lost the combat. In the desperate attempt to hold her position, Sridevi did some zany, shoddy films like Chandramukhi, Gumraah and Chand Ka Tukda etc. Sridevi was at the pinnacle till Madhuri came in…exactly like Steffi Graph was no.1 till Monica Seles came along! And the last straw came with the biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema and a trendsetter, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun! This film had changed the economics of the industry and suddenly Madhuri Dixit was a mega-star with the FIRST EVER female star to touch a crore as her remuneration! The battle was conquered…Madhuri had nothing left to prove or achieve after HAHK.

But it doesn’t end there…Sridevi and Madhuri had many more similarities than one would have thought. Like Shabana-Smita, Madhuri and Sridevi had regular co-stars but they also never chose sides! They both worked with Anil, Jackie and Sunny Deol etc. with equal ease. Another common viaduct they both walked on was Saroj Khan. Where Madhuri was always neutral and worked with anyone, Sridevi fought for Saroj’s dates every time. Sridevi was visibly very disconcerted after she saw the rushes of one of the Rajkumar’s songs which Saroj Khan had choreographed. She immediately called for Saroj Khan next morning and confronted her saying she never gave her such a song! To which, citing an example, Saroj Khan replied, “Madhuri blind-trusts me!” That was the difference between Sridevi & Madhuri Dixit.

Though Sridevi never kissed on-screen, she showed sufficient skin in films like Guru, Himmatwala and Masterji, Madhuri actually kissed Vinod Khanna on-screen only to publically regret later!

Both the ladies always maintained a decorous silence during the allegations and both of their TV debuts flopped. Sridevi’s Malini Iyer was a flop from episode one, Madhuri’s match-making debut Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai, didn’t quit match up to the expectations. Here again, Madhuri outshined Sridevi in her second inning with Jhalak Dikhla Ja 4 earned the highest TRPs for Sony since KBC 3! 

If Madhuri performed at the Filmfare function after 5 years and got the standing ovation, the very next year, Sridevi performed at the same stage on her songs. If at one function, Priyanka Chopra was giving tribute to the living legend Madhuri Dixit, at another one, Kareena was doing the same for Sridevi. Both have carried films on their strong shoulders like Chaalbaaz, Lamhe, Chandni, Anjaam, Raja, Beta, Mrityudand and Aaja Nachle etc.

When it comes to awards and nominations, Madhuri again seemed to have won the clash with 5 wins and highest ever 13 nominations.

Madhuri never ever commented on Sri’s work or life, so did Sridevi except once when she quoted she could never do “what Madhuri did” in Dhak-Dhak. She elucidated her statement later saying it was meant to be a compliment!   

It’s a shame no maker could ever brought the two queens together! Randhir and Rishi Kapoor tried for an RK Banner film but no avail. In fact Indra Kumar wanted to make Rishtey with Anil, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit in 90s which he later made with Anil, Shilpa Shetty and Karisma Kapoor.

\These two were the men of the industry! No one was cared about the hero once they know Madhuri or Sridevi was in the film. Though I can’t say they both actually complimented each other but these two iron ladies are made of pure talent and enigma.

Personally, I’m obsessed with Madhuri Dixit. According to me, she is the all-encompassing actress India has ever seen whereas Sridevi was essentially a comedy queen. As per my estimation, Sridevi lacks the aura, the range and the earthy Indian looks which Madhuri possess in abundance. I like Sridevi when she is controlled. May be it’s a fan writing but the layers that Madhuri brings to her characters (which are mostly and sadly unidirectional); I think no other actress could do it so far, categorically not Sridevi. 

Sridevi always lacked a massive hit like HAHK in her resume and her pronunciation and voice also constrained her probabilities. 

But all said and done, Madhuri and Sridevi are two such talents which are still waiting to get exploited to their fullest.

Madhuri-Sridevi…the clash of the talents, the clash of the Titans…

Well these two chapters of the rivalries can never be closed and kept in the closet of the Hindi film industry! They’re the preface of the book. All I can say for these four ladies is God must have created them during a long weekend and no wife around! If Shabana is the bible of acting then Smita is an institution of performance, if Sridevi is a star then Madhuri literally defines beauty, elegance, poise and of course, talent!   

To bind it all in one thread, I've four lines of the ever-popular Abba song...

The winner takes it all

The loser standing small

Beside the victory

That’s her destiny…

HAPPY JOURNEY – To Heaven and Back

So yeah, it was an unusual choice. And I have to admit that our timing wasn’t unimpeachable either but our voyage to Coorg was a certain success! As much as we can remember, this was indubitably our most relaxed & paused trip so far.

Udupi

It started with a beautiful old couple as our company in the train. Stereotypically, uncle was calm & quiet and aunty was a chatter box but both of them symbolized grace…started at 3:30pm on Fri, we reached a serene, sleeping town called Udupi around 6am the next day. The town looks at you & greets you with a child-like innocence where people still use PCOs & coin-box telephones to make calls, where you can still find an “audio cassette” shop! It looks like the town has stood still in time…and mind it! It can easily categorised as one of the most tidy Indian town you can ever see!

on our way

After freshen up & the breakfast, we zoomed off to Madikkeri, our “alleged” destination. Since the short route was under construction, we took the longer one (not by choice though!). When we started, we never imagined that this was gonna be our most entertaining road trip ever! Due to his back issues, my dad was lying down in the last seat, my brother-in-law in front; me, my mom, sister & the little devil of our family were sitting in the middle one (it was a SUV if any of you are still wondering).

The road has more ditches than Abhishek Bachchan’s flops! We were LITERALLY dancing our way to Madikkeri. In the course time, my father vomited & my sister slept! Our driver, though very polite & decent, didn’t know the exact direction. We kept asking & kept getting the same answer - “30 kms more”! Everyone kept showing us the finger (index & not the middle one thankfully) for the direction and we kept driving…there were a few roads in otherwise smooth pits.

By this time, my father was feeling dizzy and my sister was still sleeping! My mother, my brother-in-law and I were jumping, bouncing and dashing our heads to the vehicle’s roof. It was rude of my sister to ignore our wondrous “street-dance” performance and kept slumbering. She only woke up to threw up!

Anyways, after 8 hours of participating in a street-dance reality show, we managed to reach our destiny, Madikkeri around 6:30pm! We had booked a cottage for ourselves and it was cozy, sweet place in the middle of the silent town. It had a living room with TV, sofas & carpet, a dining hall with, of course, dining table, two bedrooms, a kitchen and even a prayer room. After 8 hours of “street-dancing”, we were dead tired and wanted a refreshing bath. But we were warned that electricity goes off here and there was no concept of a generator! And the warning proved true too but we were armed with torch & candles. While others were removing their dirt, me and my mother decided to step out and look for something to munch on as the hunger stroked…stroked really bad!

After a lost search, we found a small but delightful tea shop which also had hot daal-wada! I was already slurping and so was my mom. So we get them packed & headed back to our “cottage” (I love to brag that we had a cottage of our own!)

We all hogged on the daal-wadas and watched TV. That was the night when Madhuri was suppose to perform at the Filmfare Awards with SRK so as expected, I was getting a stroke out of joy! So to sum it up, that’s how our first day at Coorg ended, street-dance performance of the entire family, daal-wadas, spicy dinner, black-out and Madhuri’s spellbinding performance…sounds perfect, isn’t it? Well, it was actually.

From next day onwards, it was the usual routine when you go to such tourist spots, sight-seeing, photos, shopping & lots & lots of food. But the only difference here was we never felt exhausted or bored. Every spot was spot-on! Raja’s Seat, Golden Temple & Abby Falls etc. etc. etc. Beautiful is the word.

Raja's Seat

In the mean while we changed the cottage to a better but usual hotel room. The view was mesmerizing. We used to spent our days visiting these spots & evenings at Raja’s Seat with a divine sun-set view & a musical fountain. Whole Madikkeri has one “good” restaurant, Atithi jahan Jain fooddddd milta hai (picture attached)! Though it looked shady but the food was really good.

The River We Crossed 

One of the days, we went for elephant training session where you can bathe them, feed them, ride them etc. but me & my sister had other plans! First we crossed the river in a boat with my mother chanting “Hanuman Chalisa” in her mind coz she has water-phobia! We did the formality there by clicking pictures with the elephant so that the animal won’t feel ignored and then me & my sister were on the trip of our own! Impromptu enough, we decided to cross the river by walking! It wasn’t deep & the locals were doing it anyways. We knew if we even look at our mother, she’ll apprehend us! So we chose to ignore her & started crossing the river. Poor my brother-in-law, he was given the task to carry my sister’s shoes & my bag and take care of the oldies. Anyways, the adventurous journey begins…we stumbled, slipped & laughed our way to the other side of the river, totally avoiding any eye-contact with our mother. I think it was THE most audacious thing I’ve ever done in my life so to say and I think it holds true for my sister as well. My parents, my brother-in-law & my nephew took the boat to come back & my mother’s “Hanuman Chalisa” was still on.

Painful

The same day, I also sprained my ankle while climbing down a tree-house in a man-made jungle, our next spot. It was painful and my mother almost got a heart-attack. It pained for few more days & I walked in a bandage. But it was worth it!

We also went to a monastery called The Golden Temple. And trust me, it was humongous! I felt lost when entered the temple. Extremely clean, calm, colorful with copious monks roaming around in their typical red & yellow costume…

Golden Temple

We also visited a temple which was on the bank of a river. It was quiet, unsoiled & of course, divine. There they serve free lunch & you’ll see people from all walks of life, sitting on the floor & having that lunch called prasadam. The food was delicious so far with sambhar, rice & sweet Prasad. But then…they started serving butter milk…no no, not in a glass but IN your lunch plate WHILE you’re eating your rice! So suddenly the lunch I was EATING, I had to DRINK it. I was perplexed as in how to “eat” the watery thing in my plate and that’s when my mother guided me. An absolute unforgettable experience!

Then there was Abby Falls. It was like most of the Karan Johar or Aamir Khan movies…overrated & overhyped…

Abby Falls

One day, we decided to do NOTHING! We were just chilling in our rooms in the morning, then went to the market, shopped for a while, came back &; chilled some more! As I said before, it was our most relaxed and tranquilled outing so far.

During our 6 days stay at Coorg, it would be safe to call following, the highlights of our excursion:

• Elephant training

• Crossing the river…walking!!!

• My ankle sprain!

• Deer & rabbit feeding

• Drinking the lunch!

• And hold your breath coz this one takes the cake totally – shopping branded jeans & shoes!

The one thing that makes this unruffled scenic hill station unique is it’s innocence…there is no façade or veneer about this town. Unlike a Khandala or a Lonavla, it doesn’t ‘pretend’ to be a hill station. It’s still unexplored & non-commercialized but with the rate its growing popularity, I’m afraid we’ll soon gonna have another Ooty in South India. Even though I strongly recommend everyone to visit this elated, composed delight, but in my heart, honestly I don’t want many people to visit there & spoil the exhilaration of the place.

Mangalore "ELEPHANT" Hotel

Moving ahead, we decided to come down to Mangalore a day before our train, to avoid any jeopardy. This time, our driver was a pro & he knew all the short-cuts and routes. He was a true gentleman who greeted all of us with a ‘good morning’ when we started; he was polite, well dressed with decent command over English. With such hands on the steering, you don’t expect a catastrophe and fortunately none happened. We reached Mangalore in 3 hours & checked in a hotel which I called an Elephant coz uske dikhane ke daant alag aur khaane ke alag the. It had an amazing, swanky lobby & the reception area with restaurants, sweet shops, discs &swimming pool. But it showed it’s true colors when we entered our rooms. Though you can’t call them bad rooms but they were not holding the analogy with the façade of the hotel.

We were told that there is a pure-veg restaurant in the hotel so after freshen up, we marched towards the food. It was 3:20pm and we sat at the corner seat, overlooking a bustling street of Mangalore. We were greeted with a frown & a no-smile face. The waiter was angry… no one knows why but he was ANGRY! He almost asked us to get lost with his face but the brazen family that we are, we chose to laugh it off & ignore him. I guess that’s what triggered him more & he denied almost all our orders. So we managed in whatever was served to us, we compromised…

Front Building

In the evening, we decided to explore the Mangalore city. We started walking…for shopping. My mother wanted to buy a saree to gift someone & she took over 3 hours to get the right one. Then at around 8 pm, me & my sister took over the charge. We looked, searched & asked for…well, a mall! And we found City Mall nearby which was huge & had almost every famous brand. When me & my sister enter a mall and if God forbidden, there is a sale going on, my brother-in-law gets a mortified expression on his face…and yes! He had the same expressions this time too! We shopped, then shopped again & then shopped more…till the mall had the closing announcement.

On our way back, we stopped at The Punjabi Dhaba which was a spin-off of Urban Tadka. The ambience was warm & endearing, the food was also scrumptious but it took loooooooooooooooooooong to get the food served. Nonetheless, we ate and walked back to our hotel…the roads are relatively empty at this hour of the night, you can see few couples & young lads & lasses walking on the road, on the bike or just gathered around a corner, talking, discussing, fighting & enjoying their age!

Next day, our train was at 2:30pm & the station was 5 mins distance from our hotel. So in the morning, post breakfast (heavy one), me, my sister & my brother-in-law saunter our way to grace the mall again. We shopped a little more till we realized that most of the stuff we bought won’t fit in our bags & we might need to buy extra ones. And also coz we had a pack with our parents that we’ll back to the hotel by 1. So on our way back, we stopped at a nariyal paani wala. My brother-in-law specifically asked him to give us the ones with cream &sweet water. He cut the first one, my sister had, the second one, I had & then he picked the third one…little he knew that the third nariyal will rob him his money! In our defense, my brother-in-law warned him to pick another coconut coz the one he picked was looking ruined. But he was adamant & assured us that there’ll be cream & the water will be sweet. Unfortunately for him & fortunately for us, the water was bitter & there was a zilch cream in the coconut. My brother-in-law refused to give him the money of the third coconut & offered the rest of it but now little we knew that he’ll enact a eminent Amitabh scene in which Bachchan retorted, “main phenke hue paise nahi uthaata”. He blatantly refused our money & threw it back to us and as I told you before, we’re a very barefaced family so we took our money & smilingly moved ahead!!! And now my brother-in-law needed the revenge, with a vengeance! He took us to the adjacent coconut shop & finally got what he wanted, creamy, sweet coconut water.

But that’s not all…after all this ego-action-revenge drama & blood-shed, my hands were sticky so I leaned towards a water tap which was (this might blow your mind away) LOCKED! There, literally, was an iron lock on the tap! Those who know me will vouch for the fact that I’ve absolutely no control over my laughter and as expected I burst out laughing! I was hysterical and my sister was busy clicking the picture of the tap!!!

After this eventful experience, we walked back to our hotel. I was laughing through our way and was looking ditzy with water coming outta my eyes & my face turning red! Now we reach the hotel & sat for the lunch. Parents had heavy breakfast so they decided to skip it. My brother-in-law ordered the worst South Indian Thali ever! Can’t remember what me & my sister ordered but I’m sure it’s not worth mentioning!

Mangalore Station

Hence, after unnecessary shopping, insultingly free sweet & creamy coconut water, locked water tap, hysterical walk towards out hotel & world’s worst lunch ever, we changed & checked out to go to the station. The train was already at the Mangalore station. We settled down in our seats, clicked few last pictures and left the city, taking some really beautiful reminiscences with us.

Our journey back was again, an eventful & a playing-card-full one which got delayed by 4 hours. But that’s another story altogether…will discuss that some other time…so in the nutshell, our Coorg voyage was contentious, relaxed, invigorating &; hysterically funny…go, rejuvenate your life in the serene, tranquil and still uncharted Coorg…HAPPY JOURNEY!!!