Showing posts with label Hellaro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hellaro. Show all posts
When it comes to garba songs in films, my personal favourite is Gori Radha Ne Kalo Kaan-Pratik Gandhi
3:47 PM
Soumitra Das (BOMBAY TIMES; October 1, 2025)
“Navratri certainly feels more special this year,” says Pratik Gandhi, who is back to Mumbai after attending three prestigious film festivals abroad. Gandhi, co-starring his actress-wife Bhamini Oza Gandhi, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Phule was screened at the India Film Festival of Alberta (IFFA) 2025 and Ghamasaan was showcased at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF).
He adds, “It happened for the first time in my career that three of my projects were screened at prestigious festivals, and I could attend all of them. I guess I have some special connection with Ganesh Chaturthi too. Right since Bey Yaar (2014), my debut Gujarati film, some of my major films have been released around the festival and done well.” Excerpts from a chat:
‘I love playing garba with friends in Mumbai’
This year, it has rained a lot in Mumbai, and it has impacted some garba venues adversely. I have been busy shooting and will also have to attend some events, but I hope I get to play garba with friends for a day or two. You need a group of friends to enjoy garba to the fullest. If nothing works out, I will invite friends and play garba at home this time. When it comes to garba songs in films, my personal favourite is Gori Radha Ne Kalo Kaan from my film Wrong Side Raju. I also love all songs from Hellaro, especially Vaagyo Re Dhol. I have grown up listening to Falguni Pathak’s garba songs. Bachpan mein toh cassettes play karte thay, and mujhe abhi bhi chronology yaad hai! I also love Bhoomi Trivedi and Aditya Gadhvi’s garba songs.”
‘I love the positive energy all around during Navratri’
What I love the most about the festival is the positive energy all around. Everything feels really vibrant. Miraya (his daughter) loves playing garba too, although she is still not a pro when it comes to garba steps. I think I could last play garba properly about three years back, when we visited a couple of garba venues, where Parthiv Gohil and Bhoomi Trivedi performed. I prefer wearing something comfortable while playing garba-like kurta-pyjama, or a loose dhoti.
‘I will never forget celebrating Navratri in Vadodara’
In 2016, while promoting my film Wrong Side Raju in Vadodara, I visited the United Way of Baroda during Navratri, and it was just magical. I will never forget that experience. I think there were 50,000 revellers playing garba together, in huge circles, and all of them were in sync and doing the same steps. I have never seen anything like that till date. I was mesmerised.
‘Attending TIFF was an experience of a lifetime’
Attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was an experience of a lifetime because it is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, and Gandhi became the first Indian series to premiere at the TIFF’s Primetime programme. Be it as a subject or character, Gandhi has played a special role in my career. I met several distinguished cinephiles at the festival and when they had such good things to say about the series and we got a standing ovation, it felt surreal. It gave me a lot of confidence and interacting with people there was a very enriching experience.
‘I really miss playing garba in Surat’
Pratik and Bhamini, who tied the knot in 2008, have been living in Mumbai since then. Pratik says that he really misses playing garba in Surat, his hometown. He shares, “We had a group of 25 friends, and we visited multiple garba venues every day. I loved learning new garba steps and we would play till 2am. I was very fond of Surat’s sheri garbas. I really miss it.”
He adds, “Also, I loved attending the evening aarti at our housing society and I would discuss with my mother about what to offer as prasad. I also visited two famous temples in Surat with my mother every year. Those childhood memories remain very close to my heart.”
To those with two left feet, worry not! Just make sure you dress to kill on Navratri-Prachi Desai
8:06 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; October 15, 2021)
Though she hails from Gujarat, Prachi Desai’s memories of Navratri are spread over various parts of the world. In a candid chat, the Rock On!! actress shares how watching people play garba is much easier than doing it, connecting with loved ones virtually to celebrate the festival and the craziest thing she once did during Navratri. Read On…
You hail from Surat, Gujarat, where Navratri is celebrated in full gusto. How special is the festival for you and what are the most vibrant memories that have stayed with you so far?
Over the years, this season has taken me places. I have beautiful memories of celebrating the festival not only in Gujarat, but also in Shillong, during a film shoot. I also remember celebrating it in the USA with my family. Navratri has been a carousel of memories that I created while travelling around the globe. I remember, as a kid, attempting to fast during Navratri. I would get this tiny little hand woven potli from my grandmother which had dried fruits in it. That is all that we were supposed to eat for the day, but we would barely make it through the first four hours of the morning and find ourselves sneaking into the kitchen to gorge on food. I feel that Navratri is a celebration in the honour of the Goddess. So, everyone celebrating the festival should reflect on that. It is the celebration of victory of good over evil after all, so one should just feast and dance away.
Navratri calls for showing off your dancing skills. How much do you enjoy playing dandiya or garba? Any tips for those born with two left feet?
I absolutely love to watch people do garba and dandiya. As a little girl I would fancy watching people dancing for hours in their beautiful glittering attire. I feel it is as fun to watch as tough it is to perform. While growing up, I learned a few steps with friends and classmates to perform in school, but over the years I forgot them. It’s a dance form, which is incredibly high in energy and graceful. To those with two left feet, worry not! Just make sure you dress to kill and clap along as you diligently follow the person next to you going round in the circle.
Which is your favourite garba/dandiya track and who is your favourite singer?
A lot of the traditional, folk Gujarati garba and dandiya songs are wonderful. Of late, I have become fond of the songs from the Gujarati film Hellaro. I also absolutely love Shubhaarambh from Kai Po Che. There are so many outstanding singers to choose from, but to name a few, I would say Shruti Pathak, Bhoomi Trivedi, Parthiv Gohil and Divya Kumar.
What’s your Navratri style quotient?
There’s an undeniable magic about the traditional white-red-black mirror-work lehenga cholis and outfits, but I love the more colourful mix-and-match style as well. I often upcycle outfits during festivals and in day-today wear. I’m a strong believer of recycling and reusing. I also pass on my outfits, once I am ready to part with them, to those who would like to wear them. When it comes to shopping, I like picking up outfits from Gujarat and Rajasthan whenever I travel there. They have an amazing collection of beautiful traditional designs that are extremely attractive.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the celebrations have gone virtual, what’s the one thing you miss about the festival?
Watching the celebrations full of bright lights, colours and high spirits is what I miss the most. But one mustn’t dampen their spirits and find a way to still celebrate in their own way, through virtual celebrations with friends or sharing recipes with family members and definitely not miss out on eco-friendly decorations and lights at home.
What’s the craziest thing that you have done during Navratri?
I think the craziest was when a bunch of us in our high school hostel stayed up all night trying to get the steps right for the weekend celebration on the ground. Post the event, we didn’t make it back to the hostel in time, so we spent the night on the ground, bare feet in lehengas, dancing the night away tirelessly in our hideous amateur make-up. Don’t ask me if I was wearing purple eye shadow (laughs!).
(Crisp) Movie Review: HELLARO by FENIL SETA
6:19 PM
Hellaro is an acclaimed Gujarati film that won the Best Feature Film at the 66th National Film Awards this year. It is a story of a group of women living in a remote village in the mid-70s and how they find an innovative way to break the shackles of patriarchy, albeit for a few minutes, daily. The story is derived from a popular folklore but has been very well adapted to celluloid by Abhijat Joshi's brother Saumya Joshi along with Prateek Gupta and Abhishek Shah. Abhishek Shah’s direction is superlative and he has handled it in such a way that one can easily comprehend what’s going on, despite the presence of so many characters. He does justice to the plot and in a few scenes, he takes the impact to dizzying heights. The music is indispensible in this film. Songs are too good and are sharp worded. On the flipside, the background score could have been consistently good. Also, the film is shot in a great scale, considering the budget constraints. But in a few scenes, the low budget feel comes through. Talking of performances, all the actors put their best but Shraddha Dangar (Manjhri), Jayesh More (Mulji the drummer), Shailesh Prajapati (Mukhi), Maulik Nayak (Bhaglo) and Aarjav Trivedi (Arjan) leave the maximum mark. Hellaro released on November 8 and completed 50 days last Friday. It is still running successfully in Mumbai and in Gujarat and if you get a chance, don’t miss it for anything! This is an international level film in terms of story and execution and deserves a lot more viewership.
My rating - **** out of 5!
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