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Stephen Alter's novel brings to life an older version of Rudyard Kipling's young hero, Kim, as a spy
Stephen Alter's novel brings to life an older version of Rudyard Kipling's young hero, Kim, as a spy

Scroll.in

time01-07-2025

  • General
  • Scroll.in

Stephen Alter's novel brings to life an older version of Rudyard Kipling's young hero, Kim, as a spy

Lahore. 18 March 1947. Dusk brings with it stray breezes from the north, dispelling some of the day's oppressive heat. Summer has begun early this year, as if to make up for the cold winter we just had. A wheeling flock of pigeons fills the amber sky. Kicking my motorcycle to life, I can smell wet earth, where a bhishti with his goatskin waterbag has laid the dust in the forecourt of the Masonic Lodge. My worthy companions tried to persuade me to stay for another drink before curfew, but their conversations were full of rumours about Radcliffe's Boundary Commission, cricket, and the cost of a passage home to England, none of which I cared to discuss. The Norton's engine sounds ragged but after I adjust the timing lever, it settles into a steadier, throaty roar. Switching on the headlamp, I circumnavigate a crescent of flower beds bordering the driveway and head out the gate, turning left across Charing Cross and onto the Mall Road. There is no traffic, only an empty tonga going in the direction of the walled city. Those who heed the evening call to prayer are in their places of worship, while followers of other creeds know better than to wander about at this hour, because of the recent violence the city has seen. Studying me with regal omniscience is the late, lamented empress Victoria, beneath a domed pavilion, her statue cast in bronze. Seconds later, a sharp clang of metal rings out and the Norton shudders as I feel a burning sensation crease my thigh. The crack of a .303 follows an instant later. It's true what they say: you'll never hear the gunshot that kills you. Instinctively, I shift gears and give the Norton full throttle, as a second shot is fired. This one passes over my right shoulder, drilling the air just south of my ear. Lowering my head, I swerve back and forth across the empty road. A third bullet comes after me, but by now I am well out of range and all I hear is the distant report of the rifle, fired in frustration. The shooter must have positioned himself behind a hedge to the left of the Victoria Memorial, somewhere in the shrubs and shadows. Heading towards Regal Crossing, I race past a line of European shops. Their display windows are lit up for evening customers, though the road remains deserted. Ranken & Co., Civil and Military Tailors, where I got an ill-fitting suit made some years ago. Cutler Palmer & Co., Wine Merchants, whose prices I can't afford. Smith & Campbell Chemists, offering cures for everything from hangovers to syphilis. And JD Bevan, who sells grand pianos, of which I have no need. They all go by in a blur, as I accelerate away from my would-be assassin, dodging a pariah dog that foolishly tries to cross my path. Nobody is in pursuit and the gunman must have escaped in the opposite direction, though I'm not taking any chances. By now, I can feel blood on my trousers and, glancing down, see a dark wet patch, six inches above my knee. The bullet grazed my leg and struck the air filter mounted on the Norton's petrol tank. All of this, I will confirm later, but for now I am grateful to be alive and happy to be heading into the familiar labyrinths of Anarkali Bazaar. Here the shops are busier, as people hurry to buy provisions before the 7 pm curfew. Unlike the larger, European shops with their bright windows and neatly painted signs, most of the stalls are open to the street and lit by kerosene lanterns. Selling dry goods out of gunny sacks and heaps of vegetables, the merchants haggle with their customers. A goat's carcass, flayed and partially dismembered, hangs from the rafters of a butcher's shop while the aroma of roasting kebabs wafts out of the shadows where a charcoal brazier glows and sends up clouds of fragrant smoke. Gearing down, I weave through the cyclists and pedestrians, as well as a few stray cows. Though some of the people glance in my direction with hostility in their eyes, I feel safer here than anywhere else in the world. Up ahead, an arched gateway is plastered with Congress posters bearing pictures of Mr Gandhi, appealing for peace. An advertisement for a magician, The Great Mustafa, is also pasted there, and other notices offering the best prices for dried fruit and nuts from Kabul. A colourful hoarding announces a new film at Imperial Talkies – Abida, starring Noor Jehan. I drive through the gateway, manoeuvring between a handcart piled high with onions and a woman in a faded black burqa, who seems to be deaf to the insistent carping of my horn. A few electric bulbs glimmer inside open doorways and a subtle yet cloying perfume fills the air, the mingling odours of incense, opium, and tobacco. Turning into a narrow gulley, I circle around to the back of a decaying brick building and park the Norton beneath a canvas awning. As I swing my leg off the motorcycle, a stabbing pain makes me wince, though I know I'm not badly hurt. Blood trickles down the inside of my thigh, while I fumble with my cigarette case and find a match. Lighting a Cavender's Navy Cut, I can see that my hand is shaking, the flame wavering in the dusty gloom at the foot of the stairwell. I've been shot at three times before and wounded twice but never like this, without any warning, an anonymous bullet at twilight. Lahore has always had its dangers but until recently, it was a peaceful city. Ever since last August, when Mr Jinnah put out a call for direct action, the troubles started and now it's hard to know whom you can trust. Of course, there's always been resentment towards the British, and anarchists of all stripes have targeted policemen, army officers, and other officials. As I make my way painfully up the stairs, favouring my injured leg, I wonder who the shooter could have been and whether his motives were personal or political. Champa is in her chambers, curled up on a divan and painting her toenails a livid pink. When I enter through the curtained doorway, she smiles indulgently but her expression changes as soon as she sees the wound on my leg. 'Hai bhagwan! What happened?' she cries, swivelling around and getting to her feet. 'Someone tried to shoot me,' I reply, the cigarette still clamped between my lips, as Champa calls out for help and lowers me onto her divan. 'Bring another lantern,' she instructs the two young women who appear, 'and a chilamchi of water.' After pulling off my shoes, unbuckling my belt, and opening the buttons on my fly, she removes my trousers. 'Slowly, slowly,' I try to reassure her. 'It's not that serious.' Holding a lantern in one hand, Champa examines the wound, where the bullet has ploughed a neat furrow through meat and skin. Blood is seeping out and several drops fall on the patterned floor tiles. Before I've finished my cigarette, however, Champa has cleaned me up. Taking a small glass vial, she breaks the neck and pours a yellowish liquid into the wound. The pain makes me curse and for a moment my head spins like a phonograph. Folding a wad of cotton wool inside layers of gauze, she presses it down on the wound and tightly wraps another roll of gauze around my thigh. Then straightening the injured leg, she places my foot on a silk cushion and makes me lie back.

Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to British film visionary
Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to British film visionary

Yahoo

time21-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to British film visionary

Not many directors can convince a reigning monarch to appear in a comedy skit, but Elizabeth II was said to be "very amused" when invited by Danny Boyle to star in a James Bond sketch for the 2012 London Olympics. The Bury-born filmmaker will add the highly-anticipated 28 Years Later to a back catalogue that includes Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, as the zombie flick screens in cinemas this weekend. The 68-year-old has always been proud of his hometown of Radcliffe, and fulfilled a promise to mention his local social club during his Academy Awards acceptance speech in 2009. His family and friends gathered at St Mary's Catholic Social Club which his father used to run and where Boyle drank lemonade as a boy, to watch him on screen that year when Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars. The Indian-set movie, inspired by the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, became a runaway global success despite a relatively small $15m budget. But it was the latest in a string of unconventional movies that had become unexpected mainstream commercial successes for Boyle. He recently told the Guardian newspaper: "I want to push the boat out, but take the popular audience with me." Boyle became enamoured by cinema at a young age, and graduated with a degree in English and Drama from Bangor University in 1978. He later worked at the prestigious Royal Court in London, dubbed the "writers theatre", and directed productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. A move into making TV dramas for the BBC in Northern Ireland and ITV's Inspector Morse came next. Boyle drew fame in the mid-1990s when he directed the dark movie comedy Shallow Grave about Edinburgh flatmates who find a large suitcase of money, which starred Christopher Eccleston and Ewan McGregor. The film's modern story telling and visual style was credited with breaking away from the traditional image of British cinema, which had been associated with period dramas. Boyle collaborated again with McGregor for Trainspotting with its gritty and humorous take on heroin addicts in the Scottish capital. However the pair fell out when Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the lead role for Boyle's 2000 movie The Beach. The director has admitted "we didn't treat [McGregor] very well", while the latter said he had "felt like it was a badge on my sleeve: I am Danny Boyle's actor". They have since made up and reunited with the rest of the Trainspotting cast to make a sequel in 2017. Boyle was chosen to direct a hugely memorable opening ceremony at the 2012 Olympics – dubbed Isles of Wonder. The extravaganza drew more than 20m viewers in the UK, and celebrated British achievements in industry, culture and the NHS. And then there was the viral moment when the Queen Elizabeth II appeared in a sketch with James Bond star Daniel Craig, where she had requested to utter the unforgettable words: "Good evening, Mr Bond." Boyle was later chosen to direct the most recent 007 film No Time To Die, but he pulled out months before the start of filming due to "creative differences". The filmmaker's risk-taking and creativity has won him not only fans among audiences but actors too. Jodie Comer, who appears in 28 Years Later, recently said to be "led by him and be on one of his sets is a proper dream". A follow-up to the 2002 film 28 Days Later, their new movie marks a return to horror for Boyle, who recently told the BBC he still found "something intangible but amazing about cinema". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Danny Boyle and Jodie Comer talk Covid, horror and making 28 Years Later 'The 28 Years Later make-up was terrifying'

28 Years Later director Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to film visionary
28 Years Later director Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to film visionary

BBC News

time21-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • BBC News

28 Years Later director Danny Boyle's rise from Bury to film visionary

Not many directors can convince a reigning monarch to appear in a comedy skit, but Elizabeth II was said to be "very amused" when invited by Danny Boyle to star in a James Bond sketch for the 2012 London Bury-born filmmaker will add the highly-anticipated 28 Years Later to a back catalogue that includes Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, as the zombie flick screens in cinemas this 68-year-old has always been proud of his hometown of Radcliffe, and fulfilled a promise to mention his local social club during his Academy Awards acceptance speech in family and friends gathered at St Mary's Catholic Social Club which his father used to run and where Boyle drank lemonade as a boy, to watch him on screen that year when Slumdog Millionaire scooped eight Oscars. The Indian-set movie, inspired by the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, became a runaway global success despite a relatively small $15m it was the latest in a string of unconventional movies that had become unexpected mainstream commercial successes for recently told the Guardian newspaper: "I want to push the boat out, but take the popular audience with me." Boyle became enamoured by cinema at a young age, and graduated with a degree in English and Drama from Bangor University in later worked at the prestigious Royal Court in London, dubbed the "writers theatre", and directed productions for the Royal Shakespeare Company. A move into making TV dramas for the BBC in Northern Ireland and ITV's Inspector Morse came drew fame in the mid-1990s when he directed the dark movie comedy Shallow Grave about Edinburgh flatmates who find a large suitcase of money, which starred Christopher Eccleston and Ewan film's modern story telling and visual style was credited with breaking away from the traditional image of British cinema, which had been associated with period dramas. Boyle collaborated again with McGregor for Trainspotting with its gritty and humorous take on heroin addicts in the Scottish the pair fell out when Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio was offered the lead role for Boyle's 2000 movie The director has admitted "we didn't treat [McGregor] very well", while the latter said he had "felt like it was a badge on my sleeve: I am Danny Boyle's actor". They have since made up and reunited with the rest of the Trainspotting cast to make a sequel in 2017. Boyle was chosen to direct a hugely memorable opening ceremony at the 2012 Olympics – dubbed Isles of extravaganza drew more than 20m viewers in the UK, and celebrated British achievements in industry, culture and the then there was the viral moment when the Queen Elizabeth II appeared in a sketch with James Bond star Daniel Craig, where she had requested to utter the unforgettable words: "Good evening, Mr Bond." Boyle was later chosen to direct the most recent 007 film No Time To Die, but he pulled out months before the start of filming due to "creative differences". The filmmaker's risk-taking and creativity has won him not only fans among audiences but actors Comer, who appears in 28 Years Later, recently said to be "led by him and be on one of his sets is a proper dream".A follow-up to the 2002 film 28 Days Later, their new movie marks a return to horror for Boyle, who recently told the BBC he still found "something intangible but amazing about cinema". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

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