Maharani (Web Series) (2021)

Genre - Drama

Cast - Huma Qureshi, Sohum Shah, Amit Sial, etc.

Director - Karan Sharma

No. of episodes - 10

Watch it on - Sony Liv

My View

Despite the good reviews, I was skeptical about watching Maharani for some time. Reason being, most of the dramas on OTT platforms (most prominent examples being Mirzapur, Sacred Games etc.) are loaded with nudity, violence and bad language. One likes to watch good drama, but not at the cost of getting uncomfortable watching a person's eye popped out of his skull on being shot at. Thankfully, Maharani came out totally clean, atleast on the nudity and extreme violent scenes aspect. Considering the plot, expecting abuse free dialogues would be too much.

The series is based on the political scenarios in Bihar in the late 90s. Being a 90s kid, the series just took me back in time when Rabri Devi became the first Chief Minister of Bihar. Although, the makers have tried to stay clear of any possible controversies by clarifying in the beginning itself that the series is fictional, one can easily draw a lot of parallels between the plot and the actual turn of events back then. 

So the story goes like this...Rani (Huma Qureshi), is a simple housewife living in a Bihar village with her three children. While she happens to be the wife of the Chief Minister of Bihar, Bheema Bharti (Sohum Shah), that in no way affects her humility and simplicity. Having no interest in politics, Rani's world revolves around her husband, children, housework and cattle. 

Rani's life changes overnight on an uneventful Chhath eve, when her husband Bheema Bharti is shot in his own village by some unidentified men. The same Rani who had vowed never to leave her village, is forced to move to Patna to attend to her husband. Bheema barely survives the assassination attempt and a paralytic attack however, the future of the CM's seat goes in for a limbo. Amidst joyous opposition leaders and jealous party members, ready to grab the post, Bheema plays a master stroke, by announcing his wife, Rani as the next Chief Minister. 

As an unaware Rani brings a tray of tea cups to serve to party members, she is shocked by the shower of garlands and congratulatory messages. She is shell shocked to find her on the position she has never understood or liked. For the initial few days as the Chief Minister Rani is shown to be furious and non cooperative as a child who doesn't wish to be sent to school.  But when there are attacks on her self esteem and abilities, the queen decides to take charge and famously states in the legislative assembly "The lady who can manage a house, can manage the state." The screenplay, indeed justifies the description as despite being the Chief Minister, Rani is shown to be the loving and caring wife and mother - isn't that the ideal working Indian woman that all husbands and in laws desire?

Struggling to stay afloat in the high tide of political events, the innocent Rani is shown to learn tricks of the trade hard way and often falls prey to conflicts and controversies. As the show progresses, Rani is shaken to discover the muddy reality of the politics that is her husband's first love. But, like the real queen, an honest and sincere Rani is determined to save her state from the corrupted few. In the male dominated political map, she is often compared with Indira Gandhi by her critics and mocked at. Like all women centric political dramas, the protagonist always has to win. Hence, despite all odds, the directors do find some success in throwing some hard to believe events and Rani playing the perfect check mate. 

The screenplay is very gripping and focusses on various issues faced by Bihar in the 90s - caste system, Naxal upsurge, position of women and the infamous scams that once ruled the headlines. 

Huma Qureshi as Rani does justice to the role in every sense and has worked hard to replicate the typical Bihari accent as well. I actually went back to episode 2 after reaching the 8th or 9th episode, just to notice how effortlessly Huma portrayed the drastic transformation from Rani to CM madam.

While Sohum Shah has the obvious meaty role, it is Amit Sial who leaves the audience impressed with his expressions and dialogues, despite being the lead antagonist. For those who have watched Pramod Pathak as the pervert politician in Mirzapur, his portrayal of the loyal Mishraji is a welcome change. Inammulhaq as Pervez Alam with his cute Bangla accent is the hidden surprise. 

Leaving aside some hard to believe scenes, overall the makers of Maharani have proved that a combination of good script and great actors can be the perfect delicacy without the unwanted tampering of nudity and extremely violent scenes.

My Rating - 3.5/5 

Easy Eggless Ragi Biscuits

Getting Ragi in my daily routine had been on my wish list for quite sometime, especially after moving to Maharashtra and getting to know about the benefits of this superfood. 

My chai is incomplete without biscuits, be it any time of the day. In my quest to adopt healthy lifestyle, I recently realised that I was eating about 5-6 Marie biscuits per cup of tea! 

Even though packaged Marie biscuits look innocent and the labels try to further convince you they are healthy, the fact is that they are loaded with hidden calories. I realised it more when I began my attempts to bake my own biscuits. I could never get the perfect texture or finish and I would wonder how the packaged biscuits get it right in every single piece! Well, the secret lies in the various chemicals masked under the head raising agents mentioned in the ingredients. Don't believe me, read one yourself! Except for Amul biscuits, I have hardly seen biscuits that use even pure good butter. Mr. Hubby once ordered online some nice homemade biscuits made with wholewheat flour, jaggery and ghee. However, after reading the price label, I couldn't even eat one!

Necessity is the mother of invention. So, after various failed attempts and learning from my mistakes, I finally got them right. 

Here's the recipe

Ingredients

Ragi/Finger Millet Flour - 1/2 Cup

Wholewheat Flour - 1/2 Cup

Butter (Cold solid) - 1/3 Cup, cut into cubes

Powdered Sugar - 1/2 Cup (U may even use powdered brown sugar/jaggery powder)

Baking Powder - 3/4 tsp

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

Cold Milk - 1-2 tbsp

Oil - for greasing the baking tray

Method

1. Roast the Ragi flour on low-medium flame till you can notice the aroma. We do not need to roast till the colour change. Just enough to let go of the rawness. Once done, remove and set aside to cool.

2. Sift together the Ragi Flour, Wholewheat Flour and baking powder and mix well.

3. Sift in the powdered sugar into the flour mixture and mix well.

4. Add the cold butter cubes and rub with the flour using fingers until the mixture gets a crumble like texture.

5.  Make a bay in the centre and add the vanilla essence.

6. Slowly, add little by little milk and bind the mixture. Do not knead. Just enough milk to bind the mixture will do.

7. Refrigerate the mixture for 20-30 minutes or till it gets firm.

8. Dust a working table. I have used my granite Chakla on which we prepare Chapatis. Gently roll the dough into a 1" thick sheet. Honestly, I used my hands to do most of the flattening. However, it depends on one's comfort.

9. Using a cookie cutter, cut the biscuits in desired shapes. I used the lid of the baking powder bottle.

10. Arrange the biscuits on a greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

11. Remove and keep on a wire rack for cooling. The biscuits will appear soft when hot however, please dont be tempted to overbake or you will end up with jaw breaking biscuits (been there, done that!). They will automatically get firm once they cool.

12. One cool, store in an airtight container and enjoy guilt free!

Instant Vegetable Rawa Idli

There are days when you want to eat something good and healthy, sitting in the comfort of your house, but feeling too lazy too prepare something elaborate. Then, what to do? Of course, you may say order food or prepare something ready to eat. But, as my awareness about food quality is increasing, I am increasingly getting skeptical about eating outside, unless it is a trusted outlet. So, I still prefer to cook rather than eating out.

Come change in season and viral fever comes knocking on the door, especially if you have children in the family. Few days back MIL & I wanted to eat something light and different, but as the children were not well, we couldn't go for anything elaborate. 

So, prepared this yummy, instant veggie rawa idli n enjoyed with freshly prepared coconut chutney. Surprisingly my elder one too relished this as he too wanted some change in taste.

There are other such quick fix recipes on my blog too which save my day. 

Easy and Healthy Sattu Sandwich

Healthy Methi Mathris

Pahadi style urad dal khichdi

Easy instant dhokla

Wholewheat flour eggless pancakes

5 minute papad in gravy

Easy eggless Carrot Omelette for kids

Veggie Vermicelli

The lazy chef's quick Misal Pao

Ingredients (Makes approx 15 Idlis)

Thick Rawa/Sooji/Semolina - 1 Cup

Curd - 3/4 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp + for greasing the Idli mould

Onion - 1 small, chopped

Garlic - 3-4 pods, chopped

Carrot - 1 small, chopped

Chana Dal - 2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 3 small chopped + 3-4 whole for garnishing

Curry Leaves - 5-6 no.

Ginger - 1 small piece, chopped

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Green Coriander - 1/2 Cup, chopped

Water - 1 Cup, or as required

Eno - 1 sachet

Brown Raisins - 2-3 per idli

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan and add the asafoetida and mustard seeds.

2. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the chana dal.

3. Add the curry leaves and let them splutter.

4. Add turmeric powder and mix well.

5. Add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, carrot and green chillies. Mix well. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.

6. Next add the rawa and mix well. Reduce the flame to low and bhuno/saute well till nice aroma starts coming as the rawa gets cooked.

7. Turn off the flame and cool the mixture.

8. Add the curd, salt and chopped coriander and mix well. You may adjust the consistency with water in case the mixture appears thick. It should be like a batter consistency.

9. Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

10. Grease the idli moulds and add 2-3 raisins to each cavity. I also added whole green chillies to few cavities but it is completely optional.

11. Add the Eno sachet to the mix and fold gently. Immediately Transfer to the greased idli moulds and steam on high flame for about 15-20 minutes.

12. To check if the idlis are done, poke a knife in the idli. If the knife comes out clean, the idli is done.

13. Remove and serve hot with coconut chutney.

P.S. Since we had some extra batter which we couldn't keep for long as Eno was already added, my MIL used it to prepare yummy Dhokla by adding sweet water and tempering. You may refer to my Dhokla recipe for tempering details.

Healthy Methi Mathris

Who doesn't like Mathris during tea time? Crispy and salty mathris make up for a refreshing snack on the go. I remember as a kid, whenever we had a trip coming up, mom would prepare yummy mathris to be munched throughout the long train journey. Mathris are a favorite item in the wedding return gift sweet boxes (we call them Bhaaji in North). When I got married, we had a good quantity of mathris left from the Bhaaji. Every evening, after returning from office, the Mathris would give me and my MIL company with our evening chai. Often, we would prepare papdi chaat with the leftover mathris. 

There is magic in the hands of Delhi Halwais (special chefs for preparing sweet and savory items). Almost everyone in the North have their favorite Halwai shop from where they get their dose of Samosa, Kachoris and Mathris. 

After moving to Mumbai, I terribly missed the Delhi walla mathris. I did find good Mathris at some shops here however, my soaring waistline keeps me away from fried food.

Few days ago, as it was raining, my taste buds craved for Mathris. So, I decided to pamper them the healthy way and prepared these Baked Methi Mathris. Apart from being non fried, these Mathris are made with 100% wholewheat flour and yet, they taste so crispy and yum. Since Methi imparts a certain bitterness, you may keep the quantity of methi leaves less in your first attempt.

Over to the recipe now...

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour - 1 Cup

Chopped fenugreek (Methi) leaves - 1/2 Cup (You may adjust the quantity to your taste)

Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Carrom Seeds/Ajwain/Ova - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp (I didn't add as I was preparing for my kid)

Oil/Desi Ghee - 1 tbsp + for brushing

Water - 1/2 Cup

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, take the wholewheat flour. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves, salt, coriander powder, turmeric powder, carrom seeds and red chilli powder.

2. Add the desi ghee/oil. Add water bit by bit and bind into a still dough.

3. Cover with a dry cloth and rest for 15-20 minutes.

4. Roll the dough and divide into 15 small balls.

5. Roll each ball into a thin disc.

6. Arrange the discs on a greased baking tray.

7. Slightly prick with a fork to ensure that the Mathris don't rise.

8. Brush some ghee on the discs.

9. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees for about 20 minutes or till the mathris turn golden brown.

Note - You can adjust the quantity of fenugreek leaves as per your preference. Start with small quantity and increase if you feel like. 

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Who doesn't like Mathris during tea time? Crispy and salty mathris make up for a refreshing snack on the go. I remember as a kid, whenever we had a trip coming up, mom would prepare yummy mathris to be munched throughout the long train journey. Mathris are a favorite item in the wedding return gift sweet boxes (we call them Bhaaji in North). When I got married, we had a good quantity of mathris left from the Bhaaji. Every evening, after returning from office, the Mathris would give me and my MIL company with our evening chai. Often, we would prepare papdi chaat with the leftover mathris. Few days ago, as it was raining, my taste buds craved for Mathris. So, I decided to pamper them the healthy way and prepared these Baked Methi Mathris. Apart from being non fried, these Mathris are made with 100% wholewheat flour and yet, they taste so crispy and yum. http://shaivikafunda.blogspot.com/2018/09/healthy-methi-mathris.html?m=1 #healthyrecipe #healthyfood #health #healthyeating #healthybaking #healthy #snacks #teatime #recipe #foodie #foodblog #foodblogger #food #snacks #delicious #tasty #tastebhihealthbhi #yummy #shaivikafunda #instagood #picoftheday #recipes #indianfood #india #indiansnacks

A post shared by Shaivi Sharma (@shaivisharma) on Sep 28, 2018 at 3:59am PDT

Book Review - The Assassinations

Author - Vikram Kapur

Publisher - Speaking Tiger

Genre - Fiction

Pages - 211

Price - Rs. 299

First Impressions

The year 1984 is a very important special year for me, because I was born that year. Well, on the serious front, being a Delhiite I have heard many first person accounts of the 1984 riots. When merely listening to those accounts shook me, imagine what those people would have gone through. I hardly get to read anything about 1984 these days, so I was quite intrigued when i came to know about this book. 

The cover bore a fiery read look, symbolising the flames that had engulfed the once peaceful city and burnt many lives, hopes, desires and friendships. All that they left behind were burnt houses, burnt lives and ugly scars that refuse to leave the hearts of those affected. 

My View
If you have lived in Delhi during the 1980s, you would have your own set of memories related to the 1984 riots, irrespective of your religion. Having been born and brought up in Delhi, I have heard several accounts of the riots from my parents and in-laws. Those few hours of lawlessness left scars of a lifetime to many lives. I recall having once met a Sikh uncle at a social gathering whose one arm was amputated. When I asked my mom how he lost his arm, she made a grim face and told me in a hush tone, "He lost his arm in the 1984 riots". While uncle was happily enjoying his Patiala peg, I am sure the drink would do nothing to remove the ugly memories from his mind. When my mom in law came to know about the plot of the book, she went in past and recalled how houses were burnt in the nearby colonies. In my previous organisation, a Sikh woman told me how she and her family had to hide in the Gurudwara for days before they felt safe to venture outside. 

To feel unsafe in one's own home is the worst fear come true and sadly, this happened in the city I call my home. For those who unlike me, haven't had the chance to hear the stories of survivors, The Assassinations beautifully narrates how one incident can affect the destinies of multiple generations. 

The book portrays through Prem, Deepa and their families the physical, social and emotional trauma people went through in the times that followed the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Prem, the son of a migrant Punjabi family and Deepa, the daughter of a an affluent Delhi Hindu family are head over heels in love. Even as Deepa's father, a beaurocrat has his hunch on the upcoming situation becoming tense due to Operation Bluestar, the father in him is unable to say no. While Prem and Deepa are engaged and weaving dreams of a rosy life ahead, the flames of Operation Bluestar and its aftermath reach Delhi. In the lawlessness and riots that followed, Prem was transformed overnight from a guy next door to a youth with endless turmoil going in his mind. The effect is seen on their relationship as well, however keeping the focus on the aftermath, the book does not unnecessarily drags on their relationship. While reading a book like this, one often anticipates the next, so while I had anticipated Prem and Deepa to be the focus till the end, I was shocked when they both die in a militant attack. I think it was the powerful narrative after their untimely death which brings brownie points to the story. The story suddenly shifts focus to the lives that remain, how they try to pick up the remains and move on. While Deepa's parents live a life of endless guilt having agreed for the match, Prem's family tries best to escape the tag of a militant's family. The story fast forwards two decades later, where both families are seen struggling with the after affects of the incident. They do move on physically, however the scars on their hearts refused to fade. 

Hits

• One has to be very careful when touching upon such a sensitive topic as Operation Bluestar and the 1984 riots. I am impressed how the author beautifully captured the pulse of those times without any exaggeration or digression. 

• The chapters are divided aptly before and after 31st October 1984, which makes it easy to understand the sequence of events.

• Each character is penned thoughtfully and has an important role to play in depicting the mindset of each generation.

• The consistent pace of the book is its biggest plus point. Without any exaggeration, the book is able to keep the reader glued and one literally feels transported to 1984. 

• Unlike a lot of books that use such incidents to grab eyeballs without focusing much on the storyline, The Assassinations is a book that delivers what it promises. The powerful story not even once loses focus from the core issue and even as you flip the last page, your heart might say a silent prayer for those who suffered in those horrible times. For a moment, I felt as pained for the characters as I had felt while watching the 90s movie Maachis.

My Rating
4.5/5

A must read, for its powerful narrative.

I received the book from WritersMelon for an honest review.

Pahadi Style Urad Dal Khichdi

Few days ago, my MIL was remembering her days in Kullu. My FIL was posted there for a few years and lived in a cute little house on the banks of Beas river. She was telling me about the warmth of the neighbours and how they used to exchange dishes they prepared everyday. Since I am a big foodie, any mention of food gets my antennae active. So, I requested her to prepare one of the special dishes she had there. MIL went inside the kitchen and while I made the little one eat and sleep, she came up with the one of most delicious versions of the Khichdi I ever had! I was so hooked on to the Khichdi that I requested her to prepare one more time so that I can post the recipe on my blog. 

Sharing the recipe of Pahadi style Urad Dal Khichdi. This is an easier version by my MIL as she knows I am a lazy chef and a complicated recipe will scare me out!

Ingredients

Khichdi Rice (we used Basmati tukda that we generally use for baby food) - 1 Cup soaked for an hour

Urad Dal with skin - 1/2 Cup, soaked for an hour

Desi Ghee - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves - 4-5

Black peppercorns - 3-4 no.

Cloves - 2-3 no.

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Bayleaf - 1 no.

Asafoetida - 1 tsp

Green Chillies - 2-3 no. 

Ginger - a small piece

Garlic - 4-5 pods

Onion - 1 small

Salt - to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Water - 2 Cups

Method

1. Grind together the onion, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies. The mixture should be chopped, not blended. I used my electric chopper. Remember, we do not want a paste.

2. Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pressure handi.

3. Add the bayleaf, asafoetida, cumin seeds, black peppercorns and cloves.

4. When they begin to splutter, add the chopped onion - garlic - ginger - curry leaves - green chillies mixture.

5. Saute on medium flame for 3-4 minutes. 

6. Add the soaked dal and rice and saute on medium flame for another 2-3 minutes.

7. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well.

8. Add enough water to cover the mixture 1/2" above. Mix well.

9. Cover and cook for one whistle. Let the steam escape on its own from the pressure handi.

Serve piping hot with salad.