the

battle forthe upcoming AusVs Ind Test series

serve fortheirsides and fortheir fans.

The two front-runners forthe best batsmen in theirgeneration,each has plentytoprove. Kohliwillbe hungry to demonstrate thathe can come outon top against afuJl-strength Ausu·alianside, while Smithwill be searchingquite simply for redemption - andpotentiallythe dangledcarrotofan opportunitytoonce more lead hiscountryagain.

Pace battery

The Australian and Indian teams each possess thebest paceattack in their own hon,e conditions.The Australian pace battery ofStare, Hazlewood and Cu1nmins is unchanged from the lastedition ofthe Border-GavaskarTrophy, in which the Indian batsmen, ledbyveritable batting machine Cheteshwar Pujara,made 1nerry, firstbluntingand thenexcoriatingthe Aussie quicks.The Indian bowlers,led by spearhead Jasprit Bun1rah,were then left free to blo\vawaythe inexperiencedand tiredAustralianbatsmen.

With so n,anyofthe same suspects involved,itwouldbeeasybutmisguided toexpect thesameoutcomelounfold this timearound. Forone, Smith,Warner and Labuschagne areanentirelydifferent prospect to Harris, Head and Handscomb, meaning more recoverytin1e for the Australian attack. Also ofrelevance iswhether Bumrah remains aseffectiveabowlerashewas beforesustainingstress fracturesin bis back 12 months ago. In three one-day internationalsagainst ewZealand in February, Bumrahconceded 167 runsand tooknowickets,whilehisTest wicketsin that tourcame ata significantprice. On flatterpitchesinAustralia, Bumrah will needtorediscoverthe form that saw him lead India toa historic serieswin in2018.

Thequestion ofthe keeper

Auslralian captain/keeperTim Paine and electricIndian keeperRishabh Pant may havebecome viral sensationsfor lheir banterbehind the stumps,but itwas Pant who had the lastlaugh onthe field in the previousedition, with theexplosive left• hander rackingupa blistering 159* in the lastTestat the SCG.

But Panthassuffered an under whelmingsecond halfto hisfledgling career, returningn1eagrenumbersagainst theWest Indiesand NewZealand. With part-time keeper KL Rabulhavingstrongarmed his way backinto lndia'ssquad,and India'sbestkeeperWriddhin1an Saha also named in thesquad, Pant'sspotlooksless secure than it did 12 months ago. Leavingout Pantandrelyingon KL Rahulwillallo,vKohlitoplayanadditional batsman;youcanonlyexpectthatthe Indian captain,viiialreadybeLickinghislips.

A day/night delight

ThefirstTestoftheseries,viiibeplayedas aday/night matchattheAdelaideOval,the first time the BCCI hasagreedtoplayadaynightTestoutside lndia. Itpromiseslobe amomentousoccasion,oneinwhichIndia areshortoddsblinkfirst,givenAustralia's formidableundefeatedrecord in theseven day/nighttestmatchesithasplayed.

Howquickly India adjusts to the vagariesofthe pink Kookaburra ball atwhathas been a traditionaUyhappy huntingground, willgo a longwayto settingthe tone for the series. It'sa challenge notonly forthe batsn1en,but for the captains too,given thestrategicshifts thataccompanyday/nightTests.

Regardlessofthe outcotne, watching thefamed Indian battingline-up facea fieryspell fro1n StarcandCo under lights against the magical blood-redAdelaide sunset isa sight for cricket-starved eyes; there'snodoubt thatwe have earned it thisyear.

Rltam Mitra

Homemade energy bars

I loveenergy bars - whetherasaquick biteforbreakfast,oragreat snack in between meetings. Flavourful andfilled withnutrients,theydohave a Diwali connect. Surprised? Lookup varo, a dry fruitchikkiwhich is a traditional Sindhi DiwaliS\Veetmeat.

Preptime: 10mins,Cooktime: 45mins

INGREDIENTS

■ 1 cuprolledoats

■ 1/3cupnutsof choice(almonds, walnuts)

■ 1/3cupseedsofchoice(sunflower, pumpkin,sesame)

■ 1/3cuphoney

■ 1/4cupraisins/dried berries

■ 2-3 tbsp butter/veganbutter/oil

■ 6-7dateschopped.

Instructions

■ Dryroastseedsand nutsseparately for10 minutes each,keepaside. Chop nuts up whencool.

■ Dry roastoats for10 minutes, keep aside.

■ Heatoil/butterinanon-stickpan, adddatesand cookfora few minutes.

■ Add honeyandbringtoaboil.

■ Addall theotheringredientsand mix withaspatula.

■ Turn offtheheatandshift the contents to a traylined withbaking paper

■ Make incisions in theshapeofbars.

■ Allow toset and thencut in pieces.

■ Packthemall individually, to keep themfromstickingto eachother.

■ Storeaboxat roomtemperature.

Gluten-free Guiab :Jamun

Ok, soyou shun themallyear round, butcome Diwali,yougivein. Such is theallureof Guiabjan1uns, thosesyrupydecadentdonutssometimes known asthe kingofIndian sweets. This recipe isagluten-freeversion, n1adewith an unlikelyingredient, sweet potato. Thoseofyouwhoaregluten-freebychoiceorcompulsion,youcan nowindulge!

Preptime: 20mins,Cooktime: 40 mins

FOR SUGAR SYRUP

■ 1.5cupsugar

■ 1.5cupwater

■ 3-4dropsoflemonjuice

■ 5-6saffronstrands

INSTRUCTIONS

■ Bringallingredientsto a boil.

■ Keepithotbymovingtoa verylow flameorkeepingitovera waterbath (ontopofa vesselthatisboilingwater)

FOR GULAB JAMUN

■ 1 cupsweet potato boiled andgrated

■ 1.75 to 2 cups milk powder

■ 1 tbsphotghee

■ Oilfordeepfrying

Baked vegan samosa

Indianhightea?Yougottahavethesamosas tobalancetheGulabjan1uns! Butchill,'cos ,ve'rebakingthemhere, inournew-world way.Sure,youcangetyourready-to-bakes thesedays,butthey'renothinglikethese ones,madeentirelyfromscratch. Bakeand servebotwith mintandtamarindchutney. Goodoldtomatosauceworksfinetoo.

Preptime: 30mins,Cooktime: 30mins

FOR SAMOSA PASTRY

■ 2 1/2 cup plainflour

■ 1/2 cupto3/4 cupwater

■ 1/3 cupoil

■ 1 tsp carom/ajwain seeds

■ Salt totaste

Mixtheflourwithsalt, caromseeds (ajwain),oiland riceflour.

Knead thedoughwithwatertogeta semi-harddough.

Add extraflourasneeded to keepfrom stickingtohandsand board

Placethedoughina well-oiled vessel and coverwitha cloth/plastic wrap for15 minutes.

FOR STUFFING

■ 2 cupboiled veggies potatoand peas

■ 1 tbspoil

■ ½tspgarammasalaorcurry powder

■ 1/4 tspdry mango powderor1 tsp lemonjuice

■ 1 tspgingerand chilipaste

■ Saltand pepperto taste

Heatoil in pan, addginger/chilies

Add theboiled veggies.

Saute for5 minutes, add spices,salt and pepper

Instructions

■ Boilandgratesweet potato.

■ Addmilkpowderto itwith1 tbsphot ghee.

■ Knead thedough,add moremilk powder ifrequired.

■ Shapeinto balls.

■ Heat oil ina kadhaion lowflame

■ Frytheballson lowflame

■ Useaspoonto keep moving them aroundslowlyin theoil.

■ Once they turndark brown, take themout withaslotted spoonand introducethem to thesugarsyrup.

■ Letthemsitsoakingin thesyrup, fora fewhours.Trynotto move themaround so theshape is maintained.

■ Servechilled orat roomtemperature.

To Make Samosas

Takeasmallportionofdoughand roll intoasmalldisc.

Cut itintwo equalhalves,makea cone bystickjngtheedges with water. Fill thestuffingand closetheconewith water. Sealthe edges witha fork Line up thesamosa ina bakingtray.

Bakeina preheatedoven(fan-forced)at 180degreesCfor15 minutes

Brush/spraywithoiland bake further for15-20 minutesoruntilgolden brownincolour.

Allowto coolon therack. Servewarm.

Note: If youwant to bake with wholemeal, ensureyou usehalf plain flourand half wholemeal. Beware however,as this pastryisaHttle softer.

A Suitable Boy

1 (Netfllx)

STARRING:Tabu, lshaan Khatter,

I TanyaManiktala, RasikaDugal, Ranvir I Shorey, KulbhushanKharbanda,Vinay Pathak, RandeepHooda

I DIRECTOR: Mira Nair

I thesecond category.

1 Maybeitwasthechallengeof adaptingVikramSeth'sbookofthe samename.Amassiveworkoffiction comprisingnearly600,000wordswould 1 seemdifficulttocaptureinsixepisodes.

I Indiansspeak inthelanguageathome 1 andoutside-evenTabu'sexquisitely executed courtesanSaeedaBailooks I passablemouthingEnglishdialogues. I Ontheotherhand, watchingA

1 SuitableBoyinHindi throwsupa differentglitch.Sinceithasbeenshotin I English, thereisnaturallynocoherence I betweenlipmovementandtheuttered I words.SeenwithHindidialogues,the

1 ironicallyIndianstorylookslikeaproduct ofmessed-upsound engineering, tothe I pointofbeingludicrous.

I Davies'storybased onSeth'snovel startsoffonabrightnote.Wemeet 1 Lata(TanyaManiktala), astudentof

I literaturewhoisstrong-willed, intelligent, I I andfree-spirited.Hermotherinsistsitis I timeforhertogetmarried, thoughshe 1 can'thelpfallinginlovewithMuslim

I boyKabirDurrani(DaneshRazvi),a I I historystudentintheUniversity.Lata's I 1 problemsinlifearequiteremoved fromthoseofMaan(lshaanKhatter), I

Ormaybe,just asit wasblatant in I youngestsonofrevenueminister I

I thecase ofKamaSutra, Nairwasout I MaheshKapoor(RamKapoor). Maan I ( makinganIndianfilminIndiaforthe I seesthestatuesqueSaeedaBai(Tabu) I I ThetroublewithA SuitableBoy is I West(youcould saythatideadefines performatafamilyfunction, andfalls I despitesomuchstorytotell, the allher India-centricworks, butat least I head overheelsforher. I narrative tendstoflag. Itisascript I SalaamBombay!orMonsoonWedding I Thesestoriesofloverunintandem I I drawnfromoneofthemosteventful I managed tofall into anengaging I withasocio-politicalportraitofIndia I I phasesofIndianhistory-theearly I storytellingrhythm). thenarrativetriesdrawingup. Mahesh ofits production meritsand acting. Besides, for all flawsyoumay spot in thescript, MiraNairdeliversthe minimum qualityyoumayexpect from acinematic product tagged withher name.Thisis agood-lookingshow all through, and Nair'seyefordetail while setting up thespecificsofasocietal milieu isalways commendable-right fromherdaysof Salaam Bombay!and MississippiMasala.

Nairhasassorted aninteresting cast, and her ensembleofactorsdo brilliantly tobringthecharacters alive, toplinedbya majestic performanceby Tabu as Saeedaand lshaanKhatter's spirited renderingofMaanKapoor.

Thefactisestablishedlongbeforethe firstepisodeendsthatTanyaManiktala hasadazzlingsmile.Only,sheneedn't haveflashed itateveryhalfachance -herscreenpresencelookspromising enough.Theadvantageofhavinga talentedcastinalmosteveryframehas somenuanced turnof actingondisplay.

I fiftieswhenanewlyindependentnation

ThescreenwritingisbyWelsh I Kapoorcanvassesforalawthatwill I wasdiscoveringsovereignty-andyetit I veteranAndrewDavies, whoseemed I render theZamindari systemobsolete. I I strugglestocapture thatessence. I somuchin comfortzoneadaptingPride I Theyearis1951, and theembersof 1

I Oneof two things happenwhen I AndPrejudice, VanityFair, BleakHouse Hindu-Muslimtensionthatstarted I Mira NairtriesmakinganIndian film orSenseAndSensibilityand,notto I duringPartitionarestillverymuchalive. I inIndia. Shecraftsastorythatis I forget, co-writingHouseOfCards.Yet, I Theepisodesunfold rollingout I I beautifullyauthentic and inspiredby ( anelementoflazinessseemstotake I theseand other subplots, assundry I anIndiathat is(think SalaamBombay! 1 overthestorytellingasDaviesattempts charactersjoinin. Despitesomany 1 orMonsoon Wedding), or, shetries tocraftanIndianstory. I charactersand narrative threads,you recreatinganIndia that was, inwhich I Amajorproblem isalsothelanguage. I soonbeginto realise thestorytelling I casethe outcomeisbeautifully plastic I Based onanEnglishnoveland I lackslife.Thereis very littlethat I (thinkKamaSutra). adaptedbyaBritishwriter, theprimary I happensinLata'sand Maan'slives I Thisshowdiligentlytriestobelong to I languageofthedialoguesisEnglish. that can bedeemed surprising. theformerlot, buttendstogravitateto I Itseemsokaywatchinguppercrust I A SuitableBoy worksbecause I

MATRIMONIAL$

Seeking Grooms

Seekingaprofessionallyqualifiedmatch, teetotaller,ofgoodfamilybackground, preferablyAustraliancitizenorPRholder, forhighlyqualifiedcareer-oriented Brahmingirl35, 5'2", vegetarian, ofgood familybackground,workingand well settled inSydney. Pleasecontact Aussyd08@gmail.com

Seeking aprofessionallyqualifiedmatch forawell-educated32-year-old Hindu Punjabi girl.Sheisaqualifieddental specialist. Bornand broughtupin Sydney,shecomes from aclose-knitand highlyeducated family.Sheisfairand has aslimbuild.LookingforanAustralian citizen only.Pleaseemail 88matrimonial@gmail.com.

SeekingamatchforAustraliancitizen, Sydney-based Brahmingirl, born 1997, 168cm, withgood family values, pharmacist, workingforaleading pharmacy,parentshighlyeducated and wellsettled inSydney.Please respond to: connection.1971@gmail.com

Matchfor'88-born,5"3", HinduPunjabi girl,divorced(shortmarriage, issueless). Fulltime government jobinSydney. PrefRadhaSoami follower/teetotaller. MusthaveAusPR.Email: matrimonial.ml@gmail.com.

SEEKING BRIDES

Seekingmatchforeducated,divorced, 5'9", 1975bornSikhBoy,self-employed, onbridgingvisawithfull work rights.

LookingforPR/citizenmatchfrom Australia.Phone:0422812939or email:jas_ghai01@hotmail.com

Seekingmatchforawell-settled professionalboy,36,5'9",slim, AustraliancitizengrownupinSydney. Girlmust havegrownupinAustralia, preferablylivinginSydney. Contact0404920822.

Seekingalliance forAustraliancitizen boy,bornandbroughtupinAustralia, '91born,5'5", HinduArora,Bachelor ofMedicalScience, BachelorofLaws, workinginManagerposition.Sydneybased. ID- 20009.Pleasecontact: PreetiKothari0404316288or HeenaKajaria0416787526

ActorslikeRamKapoor, Rasika Dugal, NamitDas, MahiraKakkar, Shahana Goswami,AamirBashiror Manoj Pahwadon'thavetotrytoo hard to convinceinany role.The showhugelybenefitsfrom that fact. ThentherearethelikesofRandeep Hooda, RanveerShorey,VinayPathak, VijayVarma, KulbhushanKharbanda andVivaanShah, addingappeal with limited but soundlyeffectivefootage.

Despitethesestellar performances, you realisethe evidenttruthasthe episodesroll.A SuitableBoy struggles tobeastory thatholdsyour attention. The seriesseemsoverwhelmedbythe oddsit mighthavescaled, and merely managesto showcaseIndia in a way numerous other western filmmakers have alreadydone.

Vinayak Chakravorty

I and hungerfor revenge, while Guddu I isattracted to Shabnam(Shernavas Jijina).All this, even asKaleen I Bhaiya'sreigncontinues.

with manyweb series is that the cumulativeruntimeisfarmorethan what thestorydeserves. Mirzapur2

I could have been wrapped up within sevenor eight episodes. Instead, unnecessary minutes are wasted on melodrama, itemdancesand random shotsat romanceand violence alike.

MIRZAPUR 2

I ended, it wasobvious that gunning 1 for vengeancewould be Guddu(Ali I (Amazo Prime) Fazal) and Golu's(ShwetaTripathi)

I STARRING: PankajTripathi, Shweta I sole motive, afterthey lost their loved Tripathi,AliFazal, Divyendu Sharma, I ones to thebrutalityof MunnaTripathi I RasikaDugal I (Divyendu Sharma).Thestoryline, I CREATED: Puneet Krishna

I however, incorporates severalother subtexts of retribution.

Lots of guns and blood, drama, hint of I Beena(RasikaDugal), wife I sleaze, cussand explosivedialogues, I ofMirzapur'stoweringBahubali

I and acast ingood form withafew I AkhandanandTripathi, orKaleen

I exciting newadditions. If youarehappy Bhaiya(PankajTripathi), emergesas tosee alot moreof what we already I one of the most intriguingcharacters I sampled inseasonone, thenMirzapur I in the new season, with herpersonal I 2 worksjustfine. But if youwanted it I revenge agenda. Various other I toscale anotherlevel, itdoesn't quite minorcharacters, including Kaleen happenover 10 episodes. I Bhaiya's righthand manMaqbool I Goingbywhere thefirst season I (ShajiChaudhary) and the politician's

I TAIS (ZeeS)

I STARRING: Pulkit Samrat,Jim Sarbh, I Harshvardhan Rane, KritiKharbanda, 1 AnkurRathee,ZoaMorani DIRECTOR: BejoyNambiar I **"

I Taishbanksonaverybasicformula ofhonourand revengethateventhe

I mostcommercialofBollywood makers I stopped peddlingawhileback, though I BejoyNambiarservesitwithpolish.The storyunfoldsagainstthebackdropof I good-lookingLondon and nearbylocales. I Forsomenovelty,yougetachoicein

I formats-youcould watchTaishasasixepisodeseries,orasafeaturefilm.

I Theoption in format isn't the only I experimentation aboutTaish. Nambiar I and co-screenwriters(AnjaliNair, Karlik R.Iyer and NicolaLouiseTaylor)adopt I a non-linearapproachin storytelling, I which makesthenarrativeseem more I interestingthan itactuallyis.

Theoperative mood ofmurderous I rageisestablished inthe opening I sequence, with abloody showdown I in a poshpub inLondonbetween youngSunny(PulkitSamrat)and I the gangsterKuljinder(Abhimanyu

Singh). TheencounterleavesKuljinder inavegetativestate, and soon the gangster'syoungerbrotherPaali (Harshvardhan Rane) and gang are bayingfor Sunny'sblood.

Things getcomplicated because Sunny isin towntoattend a wedding. Krish(AnkurRathee), the younger scion ofthe affluent Kalrafamily, is gettingmarried toMahi(ZoaMarani), and Sunny islikefamily. Allhellbreaks loose whenPaliand gangarrive at

I mollZarina(Anangsha Biswas) find reasons toseek vengeanceasthe episodes rolls. I

Mirzapur2depictsthematic I I stereotypes wehave seen manytimes I before, including in season one of I this show, and it gets the boost of impressiveproduction value.The pace and storytellingare efficient till thepoint wherethestorybuildsup, I I but tendsto ebb in some of the latter I episodes.

I Essentially, storytelling inMirzapur I 2 ismostly about outlining what I coursethe individuallivesof theprotagonists take, as well as I introducing afew newcharacters.

I The season opens with Guddu, Golu I and Guddu's sisterDimpy(Harshita 1 Gaur) on therun. Guddu isstill gravelyinjured. Golu, toughened by I circumstances, is learning to liveby I thegun.

1 As theepisodesroll, Dimpy will eventuallyfallforthesmooth-talking I Robin(Priyanshu Painyuli). Goluis I tornbetween her emotionalangst

Theshow isredeemed by itscast. Every actor, perfectlyhandpicked, I doesafabulousjob, especially the I primaryfemalecast. RasikaDugal, I lshaTalvar and ShwetaTripathi are flawless. I I

The series ends on asimilarnote asseason one, withabig shoot-out, though theimpact is not half as exciting. For those who love postcredit scenes, hang around tillthe I end. Here, it'llleave animportant character withan interesting twist. Also, itreassuresfansthatseason I three is on way.

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I -----------------------�

I thesimplereasontheir emotional I 1 dilemmasare not altogether original, or I convincing.

I Asthestorymovesinto itslast I episode, it'salmost asifNambiarand I team werein a rush to wrap uptheir talewith asleekly executedchase I sequenceand somefilmi melodrama.

I Amajorhitch for many willbe the elaborateuseofPunjabidialoguesyoufeelat timesasthough youhave I logged into aPunjabi gangstermovie I withoutsubtitles.

I I I I thevenueanddeclaretheywillfind and nail theassailant, orensure no weddingtakesplace.

I Thenarrativemovesintoflashbacks

I totracethereasonforSunny's I violence, and alsosumsuptheplot. Nambiarissubtleinthe wayhe I introducesimportantcharactersI Krish's elderbrotherRohan(Jim Sarbh) 1 orRohan'sPakistanifianceeAarfa(Kriti Kharbanda)-aswellasvital plotspins.

I Yet Taish lacksaninnateability

I accords

Taish hasastrongideaovershadowed I I sadlyby poorstorytelling.Thecastis I brilliant, and yetthecharactershaveto I oftengothroughcontrivedsituations

I I tosimplycarrythestoryforward. It'sa labourofironies.

NOVEMBER 2020 43 I I I I

I I I 1 I 1 I I I I I