Film Review: THE LUNCHBOX

The film calls out to your heart!

Cast: Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Director: Ritesh Batra

I had seen and heard a number of rave reviews for this film. Venkat and I went to catch it on Tuesday night at Cinemax Sion.

To be truthful, I love the glitz and glamour in Bollywood films and very rarely see realistic ones. I am not very fond of Irrfan Khan either while I agree that he is a great actor. I have not seen many of his movies.

THE STORY

Ila (Nimrat Kaur) makes her husband’s dabba with a lot of love and effort and is very eager to please. Unfortunately, the dabba with her newest recipes lands up in the hands of Saajan Fernandez (Irrfan Khan) who works in the claims department of a government office. Fernandez is widowed and is about to retire. He usually gets his dabba from a local restaurant and is surprised to taste the delicious meal.

After a couple of days, Ila realises that the dabba is being delivered into wrong hands. She sends a note along with it. That’s how the connection begins. She is lonely and so is he.

MY PERCEPTION

The heartrending scene of life in a metropolis like Mumbai hits one while watching the film. It is so sad that a person can feel so lonely in such a crowded city. But that is the story of the widowed Fernandez. He is also ‘khadoos’ by nature, works hard and has no friends.

Only Irrfan Khan can play the role to such perfection.

Nimrat Kaur as Ila has also done an excellent job as the lonely housewife. The letters the two of them write to one another via The Lunchbox is what keeps the film going. It would have been difficult to talk to one another in person. But putting things in a letter seems that much easier.

The relationship between the two is beautifully built through these letters. And one can so relate to the way the film ends, while not necessarily be happy about it.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a superb actor and he adds some humour to the serious film.

It gladdens one heart as one sees the letters bringing about a change in the protagonists’ lives. Fernandez is shaken out of his indifference to the people around him while Ila decides to leave her cheating husband.

The neighbour’s voice from the above floor adds value to the film. Ila’s little daughter speaks barely a few words, but her eyes say it all.

The film ran for an hour and 49 minutes, was just the ideal length and well edited by John F. Lyons.

VERDICT: A must watch!

RATING: **** ½ (A little short of super)

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super  

Food Review: CREAM CENTRE @ R-City Mall

Cream Centre @ R-City Mall

On one of our visits to R-City Mall, Vinny and I wanted to eat at one of the restaurants there. First, we went to Quattro, the Italian joint. Unfortunately, they did not have either the soup or the starters that we wanted. We left the restaurant to go to Cream Centre on the same floor. Cream Centre serves vegetarian fare – Mexican, Italian and Indian.

Menu

I was kind of wary of the place as my experience at the Cream Centre outlet near Shoppers’ Stop at Amar Mahal, Chembur, was not the best. But I am glad that we went to Cream Centre @ R-City Mall.

American Corn Cheese Balls with potato wafers, green chutney & ketchup

THUMBS UP 1: We ordered American Corn Cheese Balls for starters. They served it in ten minutes – hot corn cheese balls with potato wafers. They gave us ketchup with them. We requested for green chutney and got it immediately at no extra cost. The starters were perfectly cooked, just the right temperature and tasted oh-so-delicious! The chutney was also yummy.

Delicious Chole!

THUMBS UP 2: We asked for Chole & Tawa Parathas for the main course. We planned to share as they serve a good quantity of chole. I have never tasted such yummy chole in my life. It was cooked to perfection and the flavour was simply awesome. The accompanying Tawa Parathas were also tasty.

Along with the main course!

THUMBS UP 3: The bill for these two dishes turned out to be quite reasonable. I fail to recall the amount as we had done this trip quite a while back.

Definitely worth a visit!

Recipe: SWEET APPAM

Yummy golden brown appams

I learned to make sweet appam from both my mother and grandmother. It is not too difficult to make, as in you cannot go wrong while making this sweet. Hence, this is a personal favourite and of course, we all love it at home.

INGREDIENTS

Wheat Flour – 1 cup
Jaggery – ½ cup
Banana – 1
Cardamom – 6 (powdered)

For frying

A mix of oil and ghee in the proportion you choose. I use half of each.

Appams cooking in the appa kaarai

METHOD

1. Add all the four ingredients to a mixer along with some water and mix thoroughly into a dough the same consistency as that for dosas.
2. Take an appa kaarai (a special kadai for cooking appams) and heat it on the gas.
3. Add some oil and ghee and keep the flame on medium.
4. Take a small serving spoon and add the dough to about three-fourths of the appa kuzhi (the small round cups in the kadai).
5. Allow the appams to cook for a couple of minutes before turning them around. Use a long handled spoon and turn them gently, or they may break and create a mess. I use a wooden chopstick and a spoon. By now, your kitchen must be smelling divine.
6. Cook for 3-4 minutes on the other side and remove the golden brown appams, before making the next batch.

Serve hot or cooled with a spoon of white butter. I promise you that your family will love you for the tasty appams. I hear they are also one of Lord Ganpati’s favourites.

NOTE: There is also a non-stick version of Appa Kaarai available in the market.

Film Review: PHATA POSTER NIKHLA HERO

It’s a fun watch if you are fond of masala flicks!

Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Padmini Kolhapure, Saurabh Shukla, Darshan Jhaveri, Mukesh Tiwari
Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Vinitha, Venkat and I went to watch this film on Friday night, the same day it released, at Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY

Even as a kid, it has been drummed into Vishwas (Shahid Kapoor in the adult avatar) that he should become an honest police officer. His mother (Padmini Kolhapure) is an auto-rickshaw driver in a small town where the duo lives. In the meanwhile, Vishwas dreams of becoming an actor, a hero.

On the pretext of giving an exam for the post of a police officer, Vishwas goes to Mumbai to try his hand at acting. There he meets Complaint Kajal (Ileana D’Cruz), who believes that he is a Police Inspector.

After taking a number of twists and turns, the film goes on to prove that Vishwas is a hero through and through. You have to see the movie to find out whether he realises his mother’s or his own dreams.

MY PERCEPTION

The film was a total fun watch with a number of hilarious moments. Shahid Kapoor is an excellent actor and even better dancer. There were a couple of songs that made for superb dance moves and Shahid has made perfect use of these opportunities.

It’s just that he disappointed me in the last scene. Just before he goes up on stage to receive an award, Shahid shows a strange expression on his face. There is a lot of emotion, but one is unable to make out whether he is feeling that way because of sorrow or joy. I was thoroughly confused and did not understand whether the film ended on a happy or sad note.

Ileana D’Cruz looks glamorous and has a very good dressing style. But her acting skills need to improve a lot. All the best!

I somehow did not like Padmini Kolhapure’s character of a loving mother. It was absolutely unconvincing. She dotes on her only child, but is absolutely clear that he should become only what she wants of him. She is aware of his childhood dreams that continue into adulthood. I am not able to understand how such an adoring mother does not give a damn about her favourite child’s dreams, not one jot. The actress did well as an emotional blackmailer, of course.

Saurabh Shukla is simply superb in his role as a local don. He brings forth ripples of laughter with his comic timing, again and again. Just loved it!

The rest of the cast including Darshan Jhaveri and Mukesh Tiwari performed quite well.

VERDICT: All in all, it is fun watching the film if you are fond of masala flicks.

RATING: ** ½ (could have been smarter)

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super

Sharing: GANESH PANDAL HOPPING

Ganesha!

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Pudchya Varshi Laukarya!

Today being Ganesh Visarjan, I bring you pictures of Lord Ganesha from the different pandals - Sion & Matunga - that I visited this year.

This is my neighbour Ganesh's Ganpati. They keep the Lord for five days. The backdrop has been designed by his wife Shalakha, She has also made the flowers in the arch. Lovely, isn't it!

Vigneshwara!

This idol was at Joglekar Wadi next to our building. This pandal is maintained by South Indians and as you can see the Murti is designed accordingly.

Devadeva!

I found this Murti at a pandal outside Hotel Ashray International, Sion West. I think this was probably started recently as I have never seen a pandal in this area before.

Ekadanta!

I found this idol of Lord Ganesha at Mira Mansion, Sion West. The blue colour is for Lord Vishnu and the leopard robes denote Lord Shiva. Ganesha in the combination of Shiva & Vishnu is what I understood. A few kids were in charge here. One little girl of probably 10 years, gave me prasad and thanked me very sweetly for visiting their pandal. I was impressed!

Gajanana!

This Murti was at Indira Market, Sion West. You can see the Lord sitting atop an trumpeting elephant. Doesn't he look majestic?

Gadadhara!

I found this idol of Lord Ganpati near the gates of Mira Mansion in Sion West. It was on the footpath and taken care of by a poor old man.

Lambodara!

This Murti of Lord Ganesha had been installed at a pandal organised by Sion Cricket Club on Road No. 3, Sion East.

Mooshikavahana!

This Grand Lord is environmental friendly. This pandal at Prem Sagar Society has received awards from Times of India, many times over.

Omkara!

This Supreme Lord had been installed at a pandal opposite Asthika Samaj in Matunga. It was so crowded that even I don't quite know how I managed to get a picture without people in it. I just have to thank the Lord for that.

Shoorpakarna!

This Tamil Lord was located at the car park outside Matunga Station. I think this pandal is maintained by the famous or notorious (as one sees fit) Varadaraja Mudaliar's family.

Lalbaugcha Raja (Pic courtesy: Jeetu Gursingh)

I have been to see Lalbaugcha Raja just once in my life and that was very many years ago. A friend gave me this picture when I requested him. Jeetu visits this pandal every year along with his family. Don't miss the crowd at 5.30 am. Amazing!

Recipe: RAGADA PATTIES

Ragada Patties aka Ragada Pattice

I have my friend Pooja to thank for this recipe. She makes excellent Ragada Patties and I am an able student.

INGREDIENTS

For Patties

Potato – 1 kg (Boiled, peeled and smashed)
Bread – 4 slices
Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

Cooking on the skillet

For Ragada

White Dry Peas – ¼ kg (soaked for 4-5 hours)
Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
Salt to taste

For garnish

Green Chutney
Imli Chutney
Ginger-garlic Chutney
Crunchy Puris (those used for Sev Puri)
Chopped Onions
Chopped Kotmir (Coriander leaves)

METHOD

1. Pressure cook the soaked white peas along with turmeric powder and salt. Keep it on for 8 whistles.
2. Soak the bread slices one by one in water for a few seconds, squeeze the water out completely and add to the mashed potatoes.
3. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix well to make a dough to the consistency of roti dough.
4. Make balls the size of a small orange and flatten it into half-inch thick patties.
5. Heat an iron skillet or non-stick tawa and smear it with oil.
6. Cook the patties on the skillet on both sides, adding a few drops of oil now and then, till they turn a golden brown.
7. Take the cooked white peas in a large vessel, add two glasses of water and boil it on the gas for a few minutes before switching off. This is the ragada.

Place the patties over the bed of ragada and chutneys

How to serve

1. Take a small plate and pour two serving spoons of hot ragada in it.
2. Add two teaspoons of Imli Chutney over it.
3. Top that with one spoon of Green Chutney.
4. Sprinkle a few drops of Ginger-garlic chutney over this.
5. Place two patties on this bed of flavoured ragada.
6. Garnish with one teaspoon of chopped onions, a couple of crushed puris and a few bits of chopped coriander.

Tuck into the most yummilicious Ragada Patties. You will soon become an addict, I promise.

Recipe: PALAK PANEER

Palak Paneer

I have been making Palak Paneer since many years, adding and deleting ingredients but never satisfied with the taste. The last time I made it, I hit upon the perfect recipe. My family members loved it.

Palak Bunch

INGREDIENTS

Palak – 3 bunches (coarsely chopped, I don’t remove the stalks)
Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch
Paneer – 250 gm (cut into cubes or lengths)
Jeera – ½ tsp
Bay Leaf – 1-2
Oil – 5 tbsp
Salt to taste

To grind

Cashew nuts – 6 (soaked in water for ½ an hour)
Onion – 2 (peeled and cut)
Garlic – 4 cloves

Cubed Paneer (cottage cheese)

Ginger – ½” piece
Green Chillies – 3-4

Masala Powders

Dhania Powder – ¼ tsp
Jeera Powder – ¼ tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp
Garam Masala Powder – ¼ tsp

METHOD

1. Boil the palak along with a little salt and turmeric powder. Once cooked, use a hand mixer to coarse grind it. If you are using a regular mixer, wait for it to cool down.
2. Grind the five ingredients listed together into a smooth paste.
3. Take a saucepan, heat the oil and shallow fry the paneer pieces and remove to a bowl.
4. Heat the leftover oil and crackle jeera and the bay leaves in it.
5. Add the ground masala and fry for 3-4 minutes.
6. Now, add the masala powders to the cooking mixture.
7. Mix well and add some salt. Take note that some salt is already added to the palak.
8. Cook for another couple of minutes before adding the palak to this.
9. Mix thoroughly, check for salt and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add the aromatic palak gravy to the shallow fried paneer and there you have the Palak Paneer. Serve hot with rotis, puris or rice as you please. It tastes absolutely delicious.