BACK IN THE NEWS
Returning to acting after seven years, Sonali Bendre has found in Broken News the hope she craves
WWhen Sonali Bendre saw her peers shine in web shows (Sushmita Sen in Aarya, Madhuri Dixit in The Fame Game, Raveena Tandon in Aranyak), she says she felt no real fear of missing out (FOMO). “There was a lot of stuff I didn’t want to do,” she says. As she kept herself busy with judging TV reality shows, she waited for the right acting gig. It finally came with the role of Amina Qureshi in the series Broken News (premiering on Zee5 on June 10), an adaptation of UK TV show
Press (2018). The Indian version, directed by Vinay Waikul (The Test Case, Aranyak), transfers the drama from a print newsroom to a TV news studio.
After a hiatus of nearly seven years, Broken News ticked all the boxes Bendre had in mind for her comeback. The show, most significantly, wasn’t “dark”, a genre she wanted to avoid. Her character needed to
have “a strong voice” and not be “morally ambiguous”. In the end, Bendre wanted there to be “hope”.
Bendre says it was her battle with metastatic cancer in 201819 that led to this outlook: “It changed the way I looked at things,” she says. “Recovering to a degree where I could work took time.” Then Covid-19 struck. Bendre had begun reading scripts, but she wasn’t enjoying what was coming her way. “It’s not that I wanted the show to be all about me,” she says. Broken News also features Jaideep Ahlawat, who heads a rival news channel, and Shriya Pilgaonkar as an intrepid reporter.
Getting back into the groove of being an actor took time. Lines—a lot of them—had to be learnt, and there was a whole new way of working she had to acclimatise herself with. “There were a lot of butterflies in the stomach; nervousness in a good way,” says Bendre when recalling her first day on set. “Interestingly, Vinay made me do a difficult scene for my first shot. After we finished, I calmed down. By the end of day one, I was enjoying it.”
So, did she watch primetime news coverage to prepare for the part? “I am still more of a reader of news than a watcher. I have been avoiding anything that gets my blood pressure up,” she says with a smile. Qureshi, she adds, is not modelled on anyone. “She is an amalgamation of various people you see,” says Bendre. “Broken News is not just about the media. We are not judging anybody. It holds a mirror to society. It tells you there is always time to make a U-turn and learn something.”
Bendre’s own learning shines through the books she recommends on her Instagram profile under the hashtag ‘#SBCBookOfTheMonth’. Her last book suggestion was the recently released December in Dacca by K.S. Nair. “True education is travelling and reading. If you can’t afford to travel, then reading is the cheapest way to travel,” she says. “It is great for understanding society and to get to know people.” With social media, Bendre feels she can say things her way. “My real side has come out,” she says. “It has changed the way I have been received and perceived.”n
BROKEN NEWS WASN’T ‘DARK’, A GENRE BENDRE WANTED TO AVOID. HER CHARACTER HAD A ‘STRONG VOICE’ , SHE WANTED TO HAVE ‘HOPE’
The restaurant business is tough. And when you aim to replace a much-loved property, comparisons are inevitable. No wonder then that the gorgeous colonial bungalow that housed Rahul Akerkar’s Indigo has remained vacant since the restaurant closed down in 2018. Finally, there was some excitement when news came in some weeks ago that filmmaker Karan Johar had taken over the Mandlik Road space to open a restaurant of his own, but, predictably, it was impossible to get a table at Neuma for the first couple of weeks—it’s still virtually impossible (but that’s also because no one ever answers their phone).
Decorated by architect Ashiesh Shah, the restaurant is pretty, in parts. But it’s also divided in distinct sections, for some reason, with no unifying theme. The Garden Bar, Sun Porch and Courtyard, the central dining room, share a minimalist aesthetic, but the other rooms here seem completely disconnected to these three. The Courtyard, with its striking blackand-white flooring and sparse decor, is sandwiched
between Blanc—the French word for ‘white’, which summarises the theme of that dining area—and Rose Bar, a space with garish red lighting and silver seats that are reminiscent of a 1980s supervillain lair.
There’s a private dining area— ‘Verde’ (French, again, for ‘green’), and on the floor above, we’re told (these areas aren’t open to visitors as yet) will be ‘Bawa Bar,’ christened thus to pay homage to architect Geoffrey Bawa’s tropical aesthetic, and another yacht deck-inspired bar, ‘Nautica’. What any of these themes have to do with each other or the title of the place—‘Neuma’, which is Latin for ‘Holy Spirit’—is anybody’s guess. Even more befuddling is a sculpture near the stairs, a figure whose head is an amalgamation of soft toys in which Pikachu’s face, somewhat controversially, rests between Tigger’s legs.
The food, at least, is less mysterious. Simple titles tell you exactly what you’re ordering: ‘butter prawns’, ‘za’atar chicken’, ‘watermelon and asparagus salad’. The presentation of each dish is testimony to Chef Abhinav Sharma’s artistry. The Harissa Cauliflower is a fantastic blend of flavours and the lamb shank is cooked to perfection. The avocado toast is pretty, if ordinary. Only one dish really disappoints: the ‘potato boulangère’, which, though tasty, is a portion of glorified aloo-tuk drizzled with mild chutney.
It doesn’t seem to matter much anyway. Certainly, the ladies lunching there didn’t seem too concerned about the influences that may have shaped the menu or the design of the place. They weren’t there to spot celebrities either; they just seemed glad to have a new place to dine at after being homebound for so long. Would they return, though? Some, who made a beeline for “Karan Johar’s new restaurant” as soon as it opened, told this reporter they felt it was expensive, but ordinary—like that avocado toast—meaning seconds are out of the question. “Bombay spoils you for choice,” as one patron put it. Evidently, Karan Johar’s superhit formula doesn’t extend to restaurants just yet. ■