Mumbai Diary: Sunday shorts

Movieng momentsIt is vindication and wahwah time for The Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival The festival organisers are thrilled at the National Award for Marathi director Ravi Jadhavrsquos short film called Mitraa Mitraa tells the story of a lesbian protagonist in newlyindependent India in 1947 and is based on Vijay Tendulkarrsquos play Mitrachi Goshta ldquoIt is momentous for the LGBT movement that a lesbianthemed film has won the National Award The film won the Best Indian film award at Kashish 2014 too which goes to show that our festival recognises and awards excellence in cinemardquo said festival director Sridhar RangayanA film still from MitraaOne cannot help think that awards like these reinforce the notion that India is a land of great contrasts and dichotomy On the one hand you have India voting with some of the most homophobic countries in the world when it supported a Russiandrafted resolution that opposed benefits for samesex partners of United Nations UN staff but the resolution failed to pass in the General Assembly committee On the other hand a lesbian based film wins a National Award Two ends of a rainbowcoloured spectrumDoctor of cricketThere is nothing in Mumbai cricket that journalist and sports consultant Makarand Waingankar doesnrsquot know about This has been a truism over many years His passion for city cricket came a full circle this week when he was conferred a doctorate for his lsquoStudy on Strategic Management of Mumbai cricket and its impact on Indian cricketrsquoMakarand Waingankar right with Dr Sanjay Oak at the felicitation ceremonyWaingankar 66 has helped a legion of Mumbai players along the way for them to experience their cricketing highs and he experienced his own when he received his certificate from Dr Sanjay Oak the Vice Chancellor of DY Patil University on FridayA remarkable man who can raise hackles with his writings Facebook posts and Twitter talk Waingankarrsquos expertise cannot be underestimatedIn a short span of time he has authored two books on Mumbai cricket All this while coping with brain surgery Add to that the labour involved for his thesis which involved extensive interviews with the greats of Indian cricketThe late MAK Pataudi made special efforts to contribute and was often aghast at the large number of tournaments in Mumbai cricket Wonder if Makarand will be given a role in the treatment of Mumbai cricket by the authorities Of course he canrsquot always be Mak the knifeReality bitesThese days whenever you switch on the television it is either Arnab frothing at the mouth or Sunny Leone gyrating to some titillating song While lsquothe nationrsquo is yet to lsquoknowrsquo of a remedy to treat the first ailment what one fails to understand is how such risque promotional materials get past the Censor Board of Film Certification CBFCA still from Margarita with a StrawIt took the Pahlaj Nihalaniled board a mere 24 hours to clear the promotional clippings and trailers of Miss Leonestarrer Ek Paheli Leela But the same Board didnt hesitate to ban Raj Amit Kumarrsquos Unfreedom a film that explores homosexualityMore recently it has asked for cuts in Shonali Bosersquos award winning film Margarita with a Straw The Board has raised objections to a few scenes of the Kalki Koechlinstarrer that tells the story of a girl with cerebral palsy and has sent the film to the Revising Committee Should we call it a stepmotherly attitude or is there a method to this madness