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The two-day extravaganza on the heritage instrument ‘Mohanveena’ of Radhika Mohan Maitra ended with a bang

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The Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), an academic institute under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, organized a two-day festival on Mohanveena – now a heritage instrument of India which was created by the legendary musician the late Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra in 1948, on 25th and 26th of July. The festival started with the screening of the documentary made by Prasar Bharati, Government of India during the late 1990s entitled “Mohanveena – a Genesis”. The screening was attended by several cinema buffs of the city and the students, staffs of SRFTI at the main auditorium. The hall was almost houseful for the 90-minute documentary and ended with a great applause. This documentary was telecasted in the National Television several times till 2010.

The next day was much more exciting. There was performance on Mohanveena by Joydeep Mukherjee, a dynamic and iconic musician of Gen X, and a grand disciple of Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra followed by demonstrations and a short recital by Somjit Dasgupta, a disciple of Pt. Maitra. Mukherjee started his recital with Raag Megh and there was pin-drop silence in the hall. This technically sound and aesthetically brilliant performer started with alaap, jor, & jhala followed by two compositions – one in 12 bit Chowtaal demonstrating the ‘been-baaj’ and next was in 16 bit Teentaal demonstrating the sarod style playing. Raag Megh ended with a super jet speed jhala which received standing ovations. Mukherjee then played a couple of very popular tunes composed by Satyajit Ray in Mohanveena – “Ese Hirok Deshe, Dekhe Hirer Chomok” and “Feluda theme music” which the audience enjoyed to the fullest.

Next item was of Somjit Dasgupta where he first explained the history of Mohanveena. He said, “In the year 1943 when my Guruji Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra played a jugalbandi in Sursingar with Ustad Sadik Ali Khan in Veena, he conceptualized a special instrument which should have the tonal quality of the Veena, resonance of a Sursingar and the ability to execute high speed taans like the Sarod. In 1948 he finalized a new instrument which had all the above qualities and on the same year Thakur Jaidev Singh, the then Chief producer of All India Radio named this instrument as “Mohanveena” after the middle name of Pt. Maitra. After that he performed some 22 National programs and countless recordings with this Mohanveena which are the assets of the Akashvani archives now. Today this 76-year-old ‘parampara’ of Mohanveena is still running among his disciples, grand disciples and great disciples,” He then played a melodious alaap in Raag Chhayanut followed by a composition in Raag Khamaj. Shree Mrinal Bhattacharya accompanied both the artists very sensitively in the tabla. His work on the left hand drum was quite admirable.

The next part of the festival was the most interesting one. The open house – direct interaction with the audience and the artists, moderated by Prof. Prajna Dutta – a nascent ex faculty of the SRFTI. Prof. Dutta gave a very contextual introduction to start the conversation and asked both the artists about the idea of musical instruments in cinema. Somjit Dasgupta told, “As per my Guruji cinema is analogous to Maa Durga with 10 hands and family members with their riders – implicating lots of characters, props, music, production crews, directors, producers etc. The same is there for music too where we have several raags, taals, tempos and playing styles.” Asking the same question to Joydeep Mukherjee he told, “Presenting a raag is just like making a cinema. Here the musician has to establish the raag note by note, just like several shots create a scene. Then continuity in music is much more important same like that of the cinema. A musician slowly builds the raag and goes to the climax at the end, just like I approached to the high speed jhala from the slow alaap -without letting a single audience any continuity jerk. The same is applicable for the director, editor & post production crews in the cinema.”

There were musicians like Bhabani Shankar Dasgupta, son & disciple of Padma Bhusan Late Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Subir De, a disciple of Pt. Maitra and distinguished persons like Prof. Sukanta Majumdar, HoD of the department of sound, SRFTI, Prof. Dr. Nabinanda Sen, Dipankar Dasgupta, head of cultural wing at USA Consulate, Dipankar Dasgupta, a former journalist among the audience as distinguished guests.

While both the musicians (Mukherjee & Dasgupta) avoided gently on the controversy regarding another namesake instrument Mohanveena created atleast four decades after Pt. Maitra, Bhabani Shankar Dasgupta clearly explained in the open house, “Any instrument except this Sursingar-Sarod blend is just a misnomer. Please don’t get confused. Do remember a patent is on the design and process and not on the name. For name there is trademark which has already been objected and the patent is challenged at the Honourable court. The namesake instrument is a matter of sub judice and no one can’t talk about that publicly. At the same time Radhika Mohan Maitra’s Mohanveena is a traditional instrument and can be freely discussed upon.”

It was a hyper packed house as several audience sat on the floor and stairs to listen to the program.

This program is an ongoing series organized by the Department of Sound Recording and Design under “Voices: Lecture Series”, under the leadership of Prof. Sukanta Majundar.

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Anant Nag receives Dadasaheb Phalke Award at National Film Awards

President Droupadi Murmu presented the 72nd National Film Awards at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on September 22, the first time the ceremony was held outside Delhi; Article 370 won Best Feature Film and Yami Gautam won Best Actress.

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2 days ago

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September 22, 2026

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Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024 at the 72nd National Film Awards.

It is the highest honour in Indian cinema.

The ceremony was held at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, on September 22.

President Droupadi Murmu presented the awards to 92 winners in total.

It was the first time the ceremony was held outside Delhi.

Yami Gautam won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award for Article 370.

Actor Randeep Hooda was honoured with the Best Debut Director award for Swatantrya Veer Savarkar.

Bhangaar won the Best Non-Feature Film award.

Ram-Nami was selected as the Best Documentary.

Veteran Kannada actor Anant Nag received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2024, the highest honour in Indian cinema.

President Murmu felicitated a total of 92 winners at the ceremony.

The National Film Awards are given annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Holding the ceremony at Ekta Nagar, home to the Statue of Unity, marked a departure from the awards’ traditional Delhi venue.

The Gujarat Chief Minister was among those who joined President Murmu at the ceremony.

The National Film Awards recognise achievement across feature films, non-feature films and best writing on cinema, spanning multiple Indian languages.

The awards are decided by juries appointed by the Directorate of Film Festivals for each category.

Past ceremonies were traditionally held in New Delhi, often with the President of India as the chief guest.

The Statue of Unity, located at Ekta Nagar, is one of the tallest statues in the world and has become a major tourism and event venue in Gujarat.

Winners at the National Film Awards typically receive a certificate, a medal and a cash prize alongside the trophy.

The awards are among the oldest and most prestigious film honours in India, first instituted in the 1950s.

Statue of Unity, Ekta Nagar, Gujarat (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Kareena’s Daayra trails Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe at the weekend box office

Kunal Kemmu’s action-comedy Vibe collected Rs 6.77 crore net in its opening weekend, well ahead of Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Daayra, which earned Rs 3.92 crore net, according to Sacnilk figures.

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3 days ago

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September 20, 2026

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Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Daayra is trailing Kunal Kemmu’s Vibe at the weekend box office.

Daayra has collected Rs 3.92 crore net over three days, while Vibe has earned Rs 6.77 crore net.

Daayra’s Sunday figure was Rs 1.17 crore, down from Rs 1.75 crore on Saturday.

Vibe’s Sunday figure was Rs 2.32 crore.

Both films opened on September 18.

Both films released on Friday, September 18, and competed for the same audience over the opening weekend.

Daayra, directed by Meghna Gulzar, stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran and is an investigative crime thriller with a 143-minute runtime.

Vibe is an action-comedy written and directed by Kunal Kemmu, who also stars in the lead role.

The cast of Vibe includes Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav, also known as Nirahua.

Daayra received largely positive reviews, with ratings between 3.5 and 4 stars from major critics, but its box office opening was described as soft.

Early Saturday estimates had been lower: an afternoon trend put Daayra’s second-day figure at about Rs 64 lakh, before it rose to Rs 1.75 crore in final tallies.

Trade figures for a film’s opening days are estimates that are usually revised when distributors report final numbers.

Both films now enter their first weekdays, when collections typically fall compared with weekend levels.

Vibe’s gross collection of Rs 8.08 crore is about Rs 3.4 crore ahead of Daayra’s gross of Rs 4.68 crore.

Daayra’s Sunday figure of Rs 1.17 crore was about a third lower than its Saturday figure of Rs 1.75 crore.

Vibe’s Sunday figure of Rs 2.32 crore was about 16 percent lower than its Saturday figure of Rs 2.75 crore.

Vibe’s three-day net collection is roughly 1.7 times that of Daayra.

Trade tracker Sacnilk’s latest live figures put Vibe’s three-day India net collection at Rs 6.77 crore and its gross at Rs 8.08 crore.

Regal Cinema, Mumbai (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

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Lust Stories 3 now streaming: Netflix anthology’s latest chapter

Lust Stories 3, the third installment of the Emmy-nominated Netflix India anthology, premiered today with four stories exploring love, desire, intimacy and modern relationships.

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5 days ago

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September 18, 2026

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Lust Stories 3 is now streaming on Netflix, marking the latest chapter in the platform’s popular India anthology franchise.

The anthology brings together four stories, each directed by a different filmmaker, centered on love, desire, intimacy and modern relationships.

The franchise has previously earned an Emmy nomination and built a following for exploring contemporary relationship themes.

Earlier installments of Lust Stories featured notable Indian directors and generated strong viewership on release.

The premiere arrives as part of a crowded September 2026 slate of new OTT content across Indian streaming platforms.

The earlier installments of Lust Stories featured contributions from well-known Indian directors, drawing strong viewership on the platform following their release.

Anthology films allow multiple directors to bring distinct visual and narrative styles to a single release, offering viewers a variety of tones within one watch.

Streaming anthologies have become a popular format globally for showcasing diverse voices and shorter-form storytelling outside the constraints of a full feature film.

The release adds to a busy September 2026 slate of OTT content in India, spanning multiple platforms and languages.

Netflix has continued to invest in India-specific original content as competition intensifies among streaming platforms in the country.

Critical and audience reception for the previous Lust Stories installments has generally been mixed across the four individual segments, a common pattern for anthology releases.

The film’s Emmy nomination in an earlier season helped raise the franchise’s international profile alongside its domestic popularity.

Lust Stories 3 is the third installment of the Emmy-nominated Netflix India anthology franchise, following the success of its first two seasons.

The anthology format features four separate short stories, each directed by a different filmmaker, exploring love, desire, intimacy and modern relationships.

The Lust Stories franchise has previously drawn attention for tackling contemporary themes around relationships and sexuality that are less commonly explored in mainstream Hindi cinema.

Streaming production set (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

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