Mira Nair in Lucknow for ‘A Suitable Boy’
American-Indian filmmaker Mira Nair has chosen Lucknow to shoot her BBCOne six-part series based on Vikram Seth’s award-winning novel A Suitable Boy. The project will go on the floors on Saturday, September 7 and it’ll be shot for around three months in the city and partly in neighbouring Kanpur. The series, an adaption of the novel set in the ’50s, stars Tabu, Ishan Khatter and newcomer Tanya Maniktala. However, the protagonist is said to be the cultural essence of the city of Nawabs which Nair wants to capture. And, to bring out the essence, a number of prominent Lucknowites have also been cast in the series. The shooting will kick off from the academic wing of King George’s Medical University.
Drone vigil on Muharram procession
Storing debris, stones or any other objectionable material on rooftops may now lead to trouble for owners of houses falling along the Muharram procession route, as the district administration has directed officials to file FIR against people engaging in such activities. Drone cameras will be used to keep vigil on rooftops of houses along the procession routes.
With Muharram scheduled on September 1, the district administration has chalked out a plan to make elaborate security arrangements in the Old City area and on the procession routes. As part of the drone survey, sensitive points would be marked and security beefed up. Law enforcers would also inspect ‘karbalas’ physically to ensure all possible arrangements for burial of ‘tazias’ on September 10.
700 Ganesha idols and counting
While most devotees wait for Ganesh Chaturthi to bring the idol home every year, Vikas Srivastava, a Kanpur teacher, has a collection of 700 Ganesha idols in his house and each one is different from the other. Srivastava believes that if ‘Bappa’ remains with him throughout the year, his presence will add to the growth and prosperity of his family. Sourced from different parts of the country over the last several years, the idols are made of different materials including stone, wood, glass and clay. Each of the idols in his collection captures the Lord in a posture different from the other.
Tribal paintings to adorn Haldar Hall walls
The more-than-a century-old Haldar Hall at the College of Arts & Crafts, under Lucknow University, will spring to life with 3D and 4D paintings inspired by indigenous tribes of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. In a joint initiative, students and teachers will cover the two 100-feet-tall walls of the historical hall - named after Bengal Renaissance artist Asit Kumar Haldar - with folk art from Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh and paintings integral to the Gond tribe, among others, of UP. The project is expected to take shape around October.