Latest news with #KandukondainKandukondain
Time of India
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jane Austen's worlds of sweetness conceal a dark chapter of slavery
On January 24, 1809, Jane Austen wrote to her sister Cassandra that their brother Charles, a Royal Navy officer, had almost captured an enemy ship. 'A French schooner, laden with sugar, but bad weather parted them,' she wrote. If he had brought it to a British port, he would have received a share in its lucrative cargo . Austen lived from December 16, 1775, to July 18, 1817, and the 250th anniversary of her birth is a big occasion. All her novels, even unfinished works, have been repeatedly adapted for TV and film, including Indian films like Aisha and Kandukondain Kandukondain . Many writers have produced alternate or extended versions, and a whole genre of fiction has been built on her Regency England world. All this will be celebrated this year, often with food inspired by the dishes she mentions. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence Public Policy PGDM Operations Management MCA Data Analytics Product Management healthcare Technology CXO MBA Finance Data Science Others Data Science Degree Digital Marketing others Cybersecurity Healthcare Design Thinking Management Project Management Leadership Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details Sugar is never mentioned directly in the novels, yet is central to this world. It sweetened the tea and cakes the characters are always consuming, a real change from an earlier era where sweetness mostly came from honey or fruits. Sugar first came to Europe along with Asian spices, and was treated like a spice itself, expensive and for the rich . by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Knee Pain? Start Eating These Foods, and Feel Your Pain Go Away Undo The 18th century growth of plantations in Caribbean colonies made sugar affordable for middleclass families like the Austens. It was still a luxury, which is why Charles would have profited, but it was now imperative. Austen's letters include relief that the guests have left, because of the cost of tea and sugar for them. Another sign of change comes from a letter in 1816: 'We hear now that there is to be no honey this year. Bad news for us.' Sugar was displacing this most ancient source of sweetness. Yet, sugar was controversial. Caribbean plantations used slave labour and this abuse was becoming harder for the professedly pious British to ignore. The problem wasn't just consuming sugar, but the fact that the profits of the trade financed the lifestyles of Austen's world. This tension surfaces in Mansfield Park , where Fanny Price, the impoverished heroine, lives with her uncle who owns a plantation in Antigua. But when she asks him about the slave trade, 'there was such a dead silence!' Austen has been criticised for not writing more about such issues — which has drawn counter criticism for imposing current values on a past era. It would be sad to cancel her works for this reason, but it is fair to look at their financial compulsions. Sense And Sensibility , her first published novel, opens with a brutal dissection of the finances required to support a family like Austen's, and there are other hints of harsher realities behind their lives. For example, the reason women of that time valued fine Kashmir shawls wasn't just for their warmth and beauty; clothes were among the few possessions women could directly control, and the discreet secondary market for such shawls says a lot about hidden hardships. India became involved in the slavery debate in 1790 when the first load of sugar from the subcontinent arrived in London. Abolitionists who were agitating for the end of slavery, celebrated this as a way to undermine slave-produced sugar. Ulbe Bosma, in The Sugar Plantation in India and Indonesia , quotes Elizabeth Heyrick, a prominent activist, arguing in 1824 that the sugar boycott, which abolitionists had tried to promote, was no longer needed: 'We only need to substitute East India, for West India sugar.' The East India Company was no friend of progressive activists, but an unlikely alliance seemed possible over sugar. This never quite worked out, mostly because of the influence of West Indian planters, but Indian sugar found other markets. Bosma notes that much went to Germany where the Schröder family built a trading empire on sugar, then diversified into the financial management firm that still exists. And when slavery ended, plantation owners imported Indian indentured labour, continuing the cruelties that sweetness concealed.
New Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sense and Sensibility-based film to star Daisy Edgar-Jones
Sense and Sensibility has been the subject of multiple films, including an eponymous 1995 feature, starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, and Hugh Grant, and 2000's Kandukondain Kandukondain, starring Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Mammootty, and Ajith Kumar. The upcoming project starring Edgar-Jones is set to offer a fresh iteration of the classic novel from the 18th century. Edgar-Jones was last seen in On Swift Horses, also starring Will Poulter and Jacob Elordi. Her upcoming projects also include filmmaker Chloe Domont's thriller A Place in Hell, co-starring Michelle Williams and Andrew Scott. On the other hand, Oakley's most popular work is her critically acclaimed directorial debut Blue Jean, starring Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes, and Lydia Page, among others.
Mint
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Jane Austen in Bollywood and beyond
The opening line from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is so well-known ('It is a truth universally acknowledged…") that it's become a kind of cultural shorthand for matchmaking and social expectations. Austen's mix of sharp humour, tangled romances and family dynamics makes her stories perfect for the screen. Austen's enduring themes—struggles with love, class and tradition—also find resonance in Indian cinema, from Bollywood to regional films. At first glance, Regency-era England might seem worlds away from the vibrant, chaotic and melodramatic world of Indian films. But scratch the surface and it becomes clear: Austen's novels were always more than polite parlour dramas. They are rich dissections of social expectations, family pressure, female agency, class mobility and choice—all of which remain reflect the very heart of Indian family and social life. Her characters navigate expectations around marriage, inheritance and social respectability—cornerstones of Indian storytelling as well. In her essay Going Global: Filmic Appropriation of Jane Austen in India, critic Meenakshi Bharat writes that Indian filmmakers naturally gravitate toward Austen because 'she provides a familiar moral structure and social canvas", making her narratives both accessible and adaptable. One of the first noted Indian adaptations of Austen was the 1985 Hindi television serial Trishna, which reimagined Pride and Prejudice for Indian audiences. The Doordarshan show featured characters like Rekha (Elizabeth Bennet) and Rahul (Mr Darcy) as members of a respectable Indian family negotiating arranged marriages and societal snobbery. The show worked, in large part, because Austen's themes and Indian social realities aligned so seamlessly. A far more sophisticated and astute adaptations of Austen is Rajiv Menon's Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000). Loosely based on Sense and Sensibility (1811), it follows two sisters. Tabu plays the emotionally restrained Soumya (based on Elinor Dashwood), while Aishwarya Rai plays the passionate, impulsive Meenakshi (inspired by Marianne). The sisters must navigate love, betrayal, financial dependence, family responsibility and patriarchy—issues that resonated in 19th-century Britain as much as they did in Tamil Nadu at the turn of the millennium. Speaking of Austen's appeal, Menon says, 'Her principal characters experience internal and external transformation. Internally, they discover something new; externally, their view of the world changes—and so does their opinion. Her books build on morals like 'don't judge a book by its cover.' In Kandukondain Kandukondain, you see that, for example, through Meenakshi and her relationships, particularly with Bala (Mammootty). There are clear character arcs. Another thing she did remarkably well was to take the comedy plot, not a downer plot. Her books were endearing because the struggles are unique, but the characters around are deliciously funny and poke fun at society." It's not just Austen's women who appeal to readers and filmmakers. As Menon notes, Austen's men are equally intriguing: 'They are aggressive, proud, nasty but also poetic and sweet. They can also be dangerous and slither away." Perhaps the most globally recognised Indianised Austen adaptation is Gurinder Chadha's 2004 English language film Bride and Prejudice. Starring Aishwarya Rai as Lalita Bakshi, the British production recasts Elizabeth Bennet as a strong-willed woman from Amritsar who clashes with wealthy American Will Darcy (Martin Henderson). With colourful wedding dances, family drama and cross-cultural misunderstandings, the film retains Austen's biting social commentary alongside musical exuberance. In the production notes, Chadha is quoted as saying, 'Once I started adapting the novel, I was convinced Jane Austen was Indian in a previous life. The characters adapted so freely and the story and themes fit perfectly into contemporary India. A mother with four daughters to marry off—who couldn't relate to that?" Family and misunderstanding, tradition and independence, duty and love are tensions Austen wrote of so sharply and themes Indian cinema thrives on. With the 2010 Hindi film Aisha, director Rajshree Ojha presented a glitzy, modern adaptation of Austen's 1815 novel Emma (much like Amy Heckerling's Clueless did in 1995). The setting shifts from the fictional town of Highbury to upper-crust Delhi, with Sonam Kapoor playing the title role of Aisha, a meddling matchmaker. Abhay Deol's Arjun is based on George Knightley. Tonally closer to the satirical Clueless than a literary adaptation, Aisha is swathed in couture fashion and lavish parties. Bollywood conventions—festivals, weddings, songs—offer a modern twist on Austenian courtship rituals. 'While Jane Austen's ballroom scenes provide the ideal setting for the courtship to take place... Bollywood songs and dances not only function to promote social interaction, but also introduce the characters, focus on their feelings, and explore Indian traditions and values," writes Rosa M. García-Periago in her paper Bollywoodizing Jane Austen's Emma: Rajshree Ojha's Aisha, for the Jane Austen Society of North America. While not all Indian adaptations are direct translations, Austen's influence has seeped into the DNA of Indian film—some proudly acknowledging her legacy, others borrowing themes and plots with subtle (or not-so-subtle) nods. The effectiveness of these adaptations often lies in how well Bollywood tropes are integrated with Austen's characters and their dilemmas. Following a classic Elizabeth-Darcy arc, in Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met, Geet and Aditya start off completely mismatched, but their journey together leads to transformation and love. In Ayan Mukerji's Wake Up Sid (2009), Sid is a male archetype of Austen's flawed but redemptive hero, who is emotionally distant but gradually matures professionally and emotionally. Rachel Dwyer, professor emerita at SOAS University of London, notes that filmed adaptations like Clueless, Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility, and BBC's Pride and Prejudice might have had more impact than the novels themselves. 'It's important not to equate Austen's world directly with its contemporary Indian counterpart, but there are similarities between it and Anglophone Indian elite society, which has its own versions of 'good marriages' based on widely agreed conventions such as status, wealth, family background, etc." Austen's settings mirror many Indian realities. Her emphasis on wit, moral growth and social tension—combined with satisfying love stories—makes for enduring, engaging cinema. In a post-colonial Indian film context, Austen's stories may be painted in Indian colours and Bollywood tropes, but her characters and themes remain recognisably Austen. Udita Jhunjhunwala is a writer, film critic and festival programmer. She posts @UditaJ. Also read: Jane Austen's novels are both a mirror and a map for Gen Z and millennials
India.com
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet actor who worked with Kamal Haasan, Rajinikanth, romanced Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, lost all his money, became a taxi driver, mechanic, cleaned toilets, mopped floors for survival, he is…
The entertainment industry is full of talent, and none of them go underutilised. While making a film, the actor believes in giving his best performance every time. There has never been a time when an artist feels like his full potential is yet to be discovered. Talking about artists, many rise to instant fame while some take time to build their stardom over many years of working. On the other hand, there are sections of actors who lost fame over time as well and completely disappeared from the industry. It is hard for anybody to go through a tough time, but the actor whom we are talking about struggled a lot after his popularity in the entertainment business fell drastically. This actor cleaned toilets and mopped floors, he even became a part-time mechanic to meet his daily needs. This is the same actor who gave back-to-back blockbusters with Kamal Haasan, Tabu, and Rajinikanth. Still couldn't guess which actor we are talking about? The actor in question is none other than Actor Abbas. He now lives a private life somewhere in New Zealand after he went out of business in the film industry. Actor Abbas was once a popular name in the industry, where he even worked in different industries, including Bollywood and Tollywood. Abbas was a chocolate boy of South Industry, his popularity among the audience was so much that his films used to do great business. Now, actor Abbas has done multiple jobs, including working as a taxi driver, and even cleaning the toilets to meet his daily needs. You'll be surprised to know Abbas has shared screens with big names like Mammootty, Tabu, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. His journey to the film industry is interesting, the actor was an instant hit after his debut film. He went on to dominate the industry for two decades, and today nobody even recognises him. Coming from West Bengal, Abbas, during his prime, made a mark in the industry with his versatile performance alongside stalwarts like Kamal Haasan in Hey Ram and Rajinikanth in Paddyappa. He was even a part of blockbuster films like Kandukondain Kandukondain, Anandham, and Minnale, showcasing his immense talent. According to media reports, Abbas filed for bankruptcy, after which he failed to get a job in the industry, forcing him to look for odd jobs outside India.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Kandukondain Kandukondain: a Tamil box-office hit rooted in Jane Austen novel
To dive into an English literary classic and flesh out a story with a Tamil heart is never easy. Rajiv Menon precisely did that through his Kandukondain Kandukondain, which rested its spine on Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. Taking a novel from 1811 and using its plot as the basic skeleton, Menon wove a splendid celluloid tale, which turned 25 on May 5. A re-release too is on the cards, while one of its key stars Ajith Kumar is nursing the afterglow of his latest box-office hit Good Bad Ugly. When Kandukondain Kandukondain was released in the summer of 2000, a few weeks after Menon's friend Mani Ratnam's Alaipayutheyhit the screens, there was a creative high in Kollywood. The two classy films, with their common thread of A.R. Rahman's music, raked in the money, besides being critically acclaimed. Searching for a foothold If Alaipayuthey was the quintessential Madras film, Kandukondain Kandukondain used Chettinad as its base before shifting base to Chennai. Menon revealed Chettiar mansions of a layered vintage and equally grappling with intrigue. Within this crucible, he placed women and men searching for a foothold, yearning for that ideal romance, slipping a bit while still nursing hopes. Menon wielded a massive star-cast, but made the characters relatable. Mammootty, Ajith, Tabu, Aishwarya Rai, and Abbas were part of the mix and even the supporting roles had a proper arc. This wasn't a film entirely about love, it was also a quest to raise difficult questions like the role of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka. At one point, Mammootty, all gravitas and depth, speaks about how being forgotten is the worst curse in life. As an ex-serviceman with a brooding memory, the Malayalam legend was excellent. Menon, with some dry wit, even held a mirror to his own film industry, while Ajith chased his creative dreams. This was also about Ajith being vulnerable in a lovely role; and with the film being released in Mumbai with English subtitles, the actor broadened his fan base. Chartbuster songs The enigmatic Tabu was brilliant as ever, and her internalisation of bad luck and superstition, before shedding those blinkers, was a high point. Aishwarya held her own within this galaxy of stars and the songs were all chartbusters. Kandukondain Kandukondain ran well in Chennai, in the rest of Tamil Nadu, and across India. Menon made Austen's theme centred around love accessible to all. There was a sensitivity to the film, a gentle tugging of the heart, that left viewers asking for more, just like how it was with his debut directorial flick Minsara Kanavu, which later became Sapney in Hindi.
