Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; April 23, 2018)

After their mehendi ceremony on Saturday, model-actor Milind Soman and girlfriend Ankita Konwar tied the knot in a traditional ceremony, yesterday. The wedding, which took place in Alibaug, was attended by close friends and family.

Staying true to their roots — Milind is a Maharashtrian, while Ankita is Assamese — the couple’s wedding was a blend of both cultures. They mixed and matched their Assamese outfits with Maharashtrian accessories and also performed certain Assamese rituals at the wedding ceremony.

Milind’s mother Usha Soman was by her son’s side throughout, soaking in the memorable moments. While most guests headed home last evening, the couple is slated to leave for Spain soon, for their honeymoon.

Known for giving fitness goals to health enthusiasts, Milind and Ankita’s bond proved that when it comes to love and marriage, age is definitely not a barrier. A lot was written about their 25-year age gap — he is 52 and she, 27 — but their wedlock goes on to show that all that matters is compatibility.

A haldi ceremony was held prior to the wedding, with classic Marathi songs playing in the background.

Here’s wishing the couple a happy married life.






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The groom preps for the wedding with 501 push-ups, the bride makes a style statement with flowers and a dazzling smile
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 23, 2018)

Even two days before Milind Soman tied the knot with Ankita Konwar, his girlfriend of nearly three years and a former air-hostess, it was business as usual for the 52-year-old model, athlete and India’s Ironman, as he kept up with his daily routine of 501 pushups. A week before that, the couple had run across Delhi and Kolkata as part of their fitness regime.

The two-day wedding ceremony took place on April 21-22 at an Alibaug farmhouse and guests pointed out that it was only apt that the health-freak and environmentalist took the pheras on Earth Day.

The wedding was a small, intimate Maharashtrian-style ceremony, preceded by some Assamese customs conducted by Niranjana and Nagen Konwar, parents of the 26-year-old bride. Ankita’s sister Jharna Konwar Baruah was also present. The couple was colour-coordinated in beige and gold for the two-hour ritual while Milind’s mother, Usha, draped herself in the traditional nauvari saree. The ornaments were predominantly floral paired with minimalistic accessories. Guests, including the bride and groom’s families, close friends and a few of Milind’s colleagues, braved the April heat as the couple took their vows in a mandap erected outdoors and decorated with Warli paintings, roses and marigold.

Around 30 guests arrived in Alibaug on Saturday for the sangeet and mehendi. It was a sun-downer with the couple dancing through the night to Bollywood chartbusters, including “Main Khiladi Tu Anari”, “Dilliwali Girlfriend” and “Ishq Sufiyana”. There was a Punjabi band which later doubled up as a karaoke crew with guests crooning under the moonlight. While Ankita switched from one brightly coloured lehenga to another for the many ceremonies preceding the pheras, Milind was breezy in a t-shirt and shorts during the pre-wedding rituals. After the wedding, all the guests changed into white shorts and T-shirts with two Warli stick figures representing the newlyweds emblazoned on them, perhaps in celebration of the matrimonial marathon the couple has pledged to run.

While rumours of an impending wedding had been rife for two months, neither Milind nor Ankita had confirmed the news. The cat was out of the bag by their close friends, model-actress Dipannita Sharma, filmmaker Subodh Maskara, Milind’s fellow runners Abhi Asha Mishra, and Radhika Gupta, as they shared pictures of the newlyweds on the social media, including one in which the groom swept his bride off her feet and into his arms.

Milind and Ankita had first raised eyebrows because of a 26-year age gap when they confirmed their relationship on the social media with loved-up pictures in November, 2015. But the couple shrugged it off. The couple had first got together when Ankita completed her first 10K marathon under Milind’s guidance earlier in the month. They would subsequently go on to particpate in several marathons, sometimes with Milind’s mom for company. The 78-year-old matriarch, who lives with the model-actor in his Dadar home, adores her daughter-in-law and after the wedding, has welcomed Ankita into the fold with open arms.

There is no divorce battle or custody drama at the end of the journey that was Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara’s seven-year marriage
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 4, 2017)

72 hours ago, actress-filmmaker-activist Nandita Das and Mumbai-based entrepreneur Subodh Maskara, who tied the knot on January 2, 2010, recently announced that they had separated. “Subodh and I have decided to separate. Thankfully, it is very amicable. Our son is our foremost priority and as parents of a delightful and sensitive child we request that his and our privacy be respected. There’s nothing to hide and there’s nothing more to be said,” Nandita said in her statement on January 2, 2017.

When Mirror contacted the 46-year-old Award-winning actress, she said, “I am in the midst of fire-fighting for my Manto film. Juggling motherhood with direction is hard enough. I have been open about my personal life, and, at the same time, very private. I hope people understand and respect that.”

The couple have two homes in Mumbai — Nandita will now live in their Bandra residence while Subodh will move into the Worli home. The 43-year-old-businessman, who is currently vacationing with his son in Spain, says that their six-year-old son, Vihaan, is free to stay wherever he wants but refuses to comment on the custody case because they aren’t planning to file for divorce anytime soon. “He will always have two homes and he has no restrictions on where he wants to live,” Subodh told Mirror, further reasoning, “Sometimes people just drift apart and separation is the best solution for both the individuals. It helps them blossom, as was the case for us.”

Subodh jokes that he may be 43 at the moment but feels as young as a 25-year-old at heart.

In 2010, Nandita was pregnant with Vihaan, when the couple founded their own production house, they named it Chhoti Production Company Pvt Ltd after their soon-to-arrive firstborn, who they’d assumed would be a girl. Subodh, who has an MBA degree from the US’ Kellogg Graduate School of Management, had been involved in various ventures before he decided to pursue his creative passions. After attending theatre workshops, Subodh decided to make his professional theatre debut with the 2012 play, Between the Lines, which was written and directed by Nandita, who also featured in it. The play marked her return to the stage after an eight-year hiatus. The couple also co-founded Cineplay — a digital platform for storytelling — around the same time.

Will Chhoti and Cineplay continue to remain a partnership between the couple? “Absolutely!” exclaims Nandita, adding, “Cineplay is a great idea and I will continue to support it.” Meanwhile, Subodh has no intentions of pursuing acting anymore and will explore other verticals related to filmmaking instead. Does he still believe in the institution of marriage? “I am an eternal optimist and believe in love and all that comes with it,” he says, while Nandita chooses not to answer, saying, “It isn’t fair to push me; these are difficult times and I would appreciate some sensitivity.”

Nandita’s directorial debut, Firaaq, which revolved around the 2002 Gujarat riots, had won her the Special Jury Award at the 2010 Filmfare Awards. Now, the 46-year-old actress has buried herself into her second directorial, Manto, based on the life of Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto, with Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing the protagonist and Shabana Azmi stepping into the shoes of singer-actress Jaddan bai, mother of Nargis and maternal grandmother of Sanjay Dutt. The film goes on floors in the next three months. Speaking about her personal attachment to the project, Nandita had shared with Mirror (December 19), “What drew me to Manto was his free spirit and courage to stand up against orthodoxy of all kinds. He wrote with a rare sensitivity and empathy for his characters. I realised that it felt like I was reading about my father, an artist. I feel Manto is most relevant to our time.”

Subhash K Jha (DNA; January 1, 2017)

Celebrity marriages in the entertainment world took a hit in 2016, with the year starting off with Farhan Akhtar ending his 15-year marriage to Adhuna Bhabani.

Now, right at the beginning of 2017, comes confirmation of yet another seemingly happy marriage coming to an end.

After seven years of marriage, Nandita Das and Subodh Maskara have decided to separate. They have a six-year old son,Vihaan.

When Nandita was contacted to confirm the rumours, she was candid enough to confirm it. She said, “Yes, it is true. Subodh and I have decided to separate. Thankfully, it is very amicable. Our son is our foremost priority and as parents of a delightful and sensitive child we request that his and our privacy be respected. There’s nothing to hide and there’s nothing more to be said.” She hopes they will be left alone to deal with the situation in peace.

Reluctant to say more, Nandita adds, “Separation is never easy, more so if you have a child. For us, our son is our main concern and we are committed to ensuring his well-being.”

Subodh is travelling overseas, so was not reachable.

The film, produced by her husband, is an adaptation of the classic play, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe, and hopes to court a wider audience than theatre.
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 6, 2015)

Subodh Maskara, who set up an entertainment platform which is a cross between cinema and theatre, called CinePlay, has gone a step further with his forthcoming project, Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai, a 95-minute feature film. Subodh has bought the rights of six of the late Vijay Tendulkar's plays and Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai, the Hindi adaptation of the Marathi play, Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe, will be the first film in the series to roll. The makers will build a set and plan to wrap the film in one start-to-finish schedule.

Helmed by Ritesh Menon, who had earlier directed Crazy Cukkad Family, the film is set in the '70s and features Nandita Das, Saurabh Shukla and Swanand Kirkire. Saurabh plays the lawyer Sukhatme, Swanand essays the role of Gopal Ponkshe while Nandita is Leela Benare, the liberal schoolteacher who questions everything in society.

Subodh, who is Nandita's husband, admits that it's a difficult role to pull off because despite the satirical humour, Tendulkar's plays have a lot of depth. "Everybody felt that Nandita would do justice to the role. Leela Benare is a strong, free-spirited woman, she does not get cowed down by societal norms and speaks her mind, characteristics Nandita shares," says Subodh.

Quiz him on why he chose Khamosh! Adaalat Jaari Hai as the first out of the six plays and Subodh says, "It's one of those pieces that reach out to a very wide audience and is relevant. Every one of Vijay Tendulkar's plays is dark but this one tackles the dark subject in a light way at the beginning. The idea is to take classic plays to the widest audience possible and ensure that they appreciate it."

Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe is a social satire that follows the mock trial of Leela Benare, a school teacher who is accused of being pregnant with the illegitimate child of a married man.

Nandita Das talks about being a student again and her next project
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 20, 2014)

It's been four months since Nandita Das has gone back to school on a Yale fellowship. Walking through the university campus, en route to a class on Ethics, the actress-director sounds a trifle breathless even though it's not yet 9 am across the Atlantic.

"My day begins at 6.30 am attending to urgent mails, getting ready and then going and dropping Vihaan (her four-year-old son) to the day care before heading to my classes. It's not easy being a single mother here and I've come to realise just how privileged we are to have help back home. But despite the hectic schedule, learning just for the love of it, is lot of fun," she says cheerfully.

After sitting through seven-eight different classes in the first few weeks, Nandita opted for the course on Ethics and Women and Global Affairs, besides her own course on Leadership, and has been balancing her time between seminars and talks on various issues like colour bias, role of art in social change, gender inequality and Indo-Pak relations. She has also screened two of her films, Firaaq and Bawandar, and the cineplay, Between the Lines, at Yale and in NY.

"We are a motley bunch that includes a Presidential candidate from Iceland, a constitutional law expert from Tunisia and a Colombian who runs an NGO on multi-culturism. It's a stimulating environment to discuss issues of common concerns in a diverse group of 16 World Fellows and also to get an opportunity to interact with the students and faculty at Yale. Communicating with people of different nationalities and walks of life has given me a perspective that goes beyond my reality of India," says an excited Nandita who had imagined that she would also get time to work on her script with her co-writer in New York, but finds that there is a lot more on her plate at Yale. "But the few sessions we have had, have been very productive."

Nandita will announce her next as a director on her return. It is a period film set in the pre-Partition India and she has been researching on it for over a year now. "I have so much material that I now have to decide what to keep and what to leave as all of it is so exciting. While it is historical, it is hugely relevant today," she asserts.

Will she act in the film too? "I don't see any important role that would fit me. I will only if a character emerges who 'looks' like me. Since this film is drawn from history, I have to cast actors who look the part," she reasons, admitting she'd like to collaborate with a foreign producer who wouldn't insist on songs or mainstream stars to Bollywoodise the project. "It's a sensitive and powerful subject and I don't want to make any compromises. A co-production between an Indian producer and an international one would be my ideal choice."

She admits that she made Firaaq only for an Indian audience thinking no one outside would understand the issues it raised and the context it came from. "But my experiences at screenings across the globe proved that the struggle for identity, prejudice and sectarian violence are issues all around the world," says Nandita reminiscing her time with Firaaq in International festivals.

Even at Yale the questions asked after the recent screening, she's come to realise that while NRIs are the big market for Bollywood, the global audience is also interested in Indian films that go beyond the mainstream. "We don't have to become less local in our search for a global audience. Human stories travel beyond borders,"she asserts.

Nandita has been commissioned to script an Indian woman's journey to Western Australia for Dalip Sondhi and Robyn Kershaw, an Australian producer. "I'll start writing in January. They want me to act and direct too. Not sure how I will juggle between the two projects," she says.

Before that, after weeks of Skype, she will have a grand reunion with husband Subodh Maskara. They will spend 10 days together, on the campus and in Chicago where they have been invited for two screenings of their CinePlay, bring in Thanksgiving with an American friend, before Subodh returns to India with Vihaan. "The last 12 days I will be by myself, to focus on what remains to be done and what lies ahead in the new year," she rings off, returning to being student for another day.