Interview with Sari Breilin - Head of BollyBeat!

Sari Breilin is one of the directors of Ek Kahani and also the head of the BollyBeat Dance School. She has been participating in physical activities all her life, including aesthetic group gymnastics and several different dance styles.

Sari has been engaged with Bollywood since 2001. Here in Finland, she has had Sri Lankan and Indian dance teachers. We took a moment to interview her under the pressure of the approaching premiere.

- Sari, you have been involved with different Indian dances for many years. What triggered your passion for them?

- The Indian culture and spirit has been close to my heart for over 25 years now. I fell in love with Indian dancing because of the narrative way the dance is carried out, and its colorful versatility.

- You are the head of the BollyBeat Dance School. Could you share something about the school - how did it all begin and what kind of status it has among the variety of dance schools in Helsinki?

- I established my own company in 2006. In the beginning, I taught classes in two different schools. In the year 2008 I established a school with auxiliary business name called “Bolly Beat Dancers”. Through that, I started teaching classes in cooperation with a company called Tao Bazar, which is owned by my friend Katri Prusila.

The selection of dance classes we offer in the school is still quite small, but it´s getting ever more wide because interest towards Indian dances is constantly increasing. Especially classical dances like Bharata Natyam and semi-classical Bollywood dances have gathered interest.

- What have been your main tasks during the process of Ek Kahani?

Coordinating, creating choreographies, enabling our practices by reserving the time and places for rehearsals. I have also been a contact person of the play whilst being a director. And of course dancing.

- The premiere for Ek Kahani is coming closer. How have the preparations for the play gone so far?

- The timetable is really strict especially during the final days of practices. At the same time there is other work tasks that need to be taken care of on top of the play. Because of the whole work load many people have been working very long hours. But I believe it's all worth the effort. I know everyone has tried their best. Everybody is very enthusiastic about the project and we have been supporting each other. It's only natural that you get tired at times, but then you just rest and gather more energy to carry on.

- As head of the dance school you are also producing Ek Kahani. How has the cooperation been working with Reetta Flink, the main director of the play?

- We met with Reetta some years ago through the dance school. She contacted me by phone and came to a Bollywood class. Our cooperation has worked really well and I have learned to know Reetta and the way she handles work even more through this project. It has been really inspiring to note her deep knowledge about Bollywood, and I think she works very accurately. I have truly learned so many new things with this process.  

I have often had a new kick of motivation after exchanging thoughts and ideas with Reetta, for instance while I´m working at home. Usually I report to her about the proceeding of tasks or ask advice to something. Reetta is supportive yet demanding when it comes to work.

- What has been the best part of Ek Kahani's rehearsals?

- The best part is that nothing like this has ever been done before in Finland! There are no earlier similar kinds of projects or events for comparison. So everything has been created on our own and from a scratch. We have only been hoping for the best, and I can see how everyone has developed.

The best part has been learning new things and moreover, the fact that I have learned to know myself better. I have gotten new friends through this project. We are like a one big family.

- What would you like to say to the people who are coming to see the show on May 5th?

- Come to see the show with open minds. I believe the story will touch everyone in some aspect.

Text by: Tanja Saariaho

The very first dress rehearsal 15.4.2012

The very first dress rehearsal 15.4.2012

The whole team spent a tough but inspiring day together going through the whole play for the first time.

Laura S, Sanna and Virpi.

Tero the dancing Goa-hippie.

Amardeep. Well prepared for the splendid party scene.

Siva and Sudhi/ Pappu and Amit.

Very atmospheric indeed. Ilona and Sudhi.

Practicin the last scene of the play. Who is leaving and where?

The audience was following carefully happenings of the "stage".

Elisa (Ilona's character) demanding some explanations.

Our lovely dancers Laura S and Sanna.

Reetta doing her job. It's not a peice of cake to direct a big dance scene.

Beautiful Laura Sko, and one of the choreographers Tero (the sparkle eye).

Meet our Leading Lady - Interview with Ilona Kolachana

The lovely Ilona Kolachana is our leading actress in ”Ek Kahani”. She will be playing the role of Elisa, a young Finnish woman with a warm and open heart. Besides being the leading actress, Ilona has also been doing choreographies for the musical scenes and been involved in script writing and other planning. She has even been helping posting pictures to this blog. As we told you in a post before, the whole storyline of ”Ek Kahani” is based on real events which took place in Ilona’s own life. Our leading lady sure has had her hands full of work!

- Hello Ilona! How are you?

- I am fine. I am very busy with the play, naturally. For example last weekend was only rehearsals for me. Saturday morning dance practice at Kisahalli, in the afternoon play reading in Vantaa. Sunday, first dance rehearsals in Kamppi, then promo shooting in Tikkurila. But I am not complaining, I am having the time of my life! Our team is great. We are having a blast together.

- Are you nervous about anything?

- Sure, one is always worried about whether we will get everything done in time. The performance is approaching and so many things yet need to be done. But I wouldn’t be too nervous. That might ruin the whole thing.

Music has always been a big part of Ilona’s life: she has played the flute and has had some singing practice. She went to the Vaskivuori Upper Secondary School, which is known to have Music and Dance Curriculums for students. That is when she really got into dancing. She performed singing, playing and dancing in several musical theatre productions of her school. After she graduated, it was clear dancing would become something very important and special for her.

For many years Ilona took oriental dance lessons. She had always been very fond of Bhangra music, and last year, when she found out about the Bhangra dance lessons of the Bolly Beat Dance School, she immediately signed up for them. That is how she became part of the Bolly Beat Dancers, and later, of ”Ek Kahani”.

- That is right. When I hear Bhangra, I can’t stop dancing! Ilona laughs.

- Well there is a Bhangra number in ”Ek Kahani”. Is it your favourite scene in the play, Ilona?

- Oh, I do like it. But perhaps I like even better the dance sequence between the two main characters. That is their song, which takes place when they first realize they are in love. It also is a kind, gentle parody of such Bollywood –scenes where the leading couple suddenly dances in the mountains that came out of nowhere, in costumes that came out of nowhere. We picked a famous and sentimental song for it. It is a fantasy sequence, obviously, which takes place only in their imagination. I like the way in which we will do the transition between reality and imagination. And the whole scene is very nicely done.

- What do you feel like when dancing?

- Dance is very essentially linked to music. It is fascinating to start to understand the structure and even the very feelings of music through dancing. For me, dancing means that the mind and the body are joined in a creative play.

- ”Ek Kahani” is based on your and your husband’s love story. Does it feel weird to act a character based on youself?


- From the very beginning, it was very clear that the character of Elisa and myself as a real person are not the same. With our director, Reetta Flink, we have worked on this. Elisa might have some common traits with me, but mainly because they fit that kind of character. We have made up a whole life for her. She studies South Indian Studies, and therefore knows a lot about India and starts talking to Amit [the other protagonist]. I myself study Arabic language and Islamic studies. I didn’t know much about India in the beginning, but my major still tells about me being open towards new and different cultures. Compared to me, Elisa is more shy and timid. She is kind of a bookworm.

Ilona works together with Reetta Flink and Sivakumar Karuppusamy for Bollywood Frost Entertaiment. Their aim is to bring Indian culture to Finland (and they are doing a fairly good job!). Ilona thinks that ”Ek Kahani” is an event celebrating multiculturalism, which is very important in this globalized world.


Text by: Laura Kunnas 

10 mornings until the premiere!

I just counted. Only 10 more mornings until the premiere of the wonderful "Ek Kahani"! How exciting!

Did you know that already over 80 people have confirmed through facebook that they will be attending to the show and almost a hundred are thinking about going to? If you don't believe it, see our facebook page here!

It is only normal that our event is so popular. "The Beat of Bollywood" will be a unique, dazzling, amazing experience which you will remember for long. You'll get to see the world-premiere of our absolutely awesome play "Ek Kahani", and after that, you'll be welcome to celebrate magnificent multiculturiality with us by dancing to the Beat of Bollywood! Join us & make this experience memorable!

If you haven't reserved your tickets yet, do it NOW, before we are sold out! Write to us & reserve places for yourself, all your friends and family at: ekkahani2012@gmail.com

See you at the premiere! :)

Chosen for each other: An article about arranged marriages

“Ah, so that’s how my future spouse looks like.”

For Pallavi and Baburao Kadam, now living in Myyrmäki, it was clear already on their first meeting: they would get married. It was not about falling in love at first sight, but a decision made by their parents after careful consideration.

Both were very satisfied with that decision.

- Pallavi is just like her family: peaceful, Baburao praises and gives his wife a tender look.
- My mother sure knows her daughter and knows, what kind of man she needs, Pallavi Kadam says gratefully.

The couple’s four year old daughter Aditi rushes to show us a dog that she made at her Finnish kindergarten.

The father-in-law as a detective

The Kadams come from Mumbai, India. Traditionally, before the engagement takes place, months of spying and several dates are required, but none between the two youngsters. Their families observe each other on the dates, because what kind of family, that kind of child.

- The bride’s father will go spying to see what kind of house and what education the young man has, and if he has ever been fired from work, Baburao Kadam adds.

In India, there are spouse finding agencies helping families to organize marriages. With education one can raise his or her ranking most in matrimonial market. Education determines one's social status in the country of insane living standards contradictions.

Henna applied on the spouses' hands: an Indian wedding tradition

- It is normal that people are looking for a partner who has the same education. A doctor wants to marry another doctor, Pallavi Kadam explains.

But that’s not the case of the Kadams, because Paburao works as an architect and Pallavi is a teacher.

The last word in this couple’s case was given by an astrologer, who consulted the stars and confirmed that their horoscopes matched.

Do-it-yourself marriages on the internet

The computer is an increasingly important tool in modern times for spouse finding agencies.

The Indian partner finding machines are effective. You type down whether you want partner to use alcohol or eat meat, his or her ideal weight and whether the caste makes a difference to you. The computer also runs a calculator to find matching horoscopes.

Even the families of the youngsters who are of marriageable age have started using possibilities offered by modern computers.

- Our unmarried friend in Espoo gets constantly links from his family to matching girls’ profiles from the partner finding service. He talks with the girls on the phone and when he finds a nice girl, he gives his family the permission to visit her family, Pallavi tells.

However, lots of Indians are trying to find a partner by themselves, without getting help from anyone else. According to Mr. Kadam, in modern India already 40 percent of marriages are based on pre-marital love-relationships, and not on work done by the families.

- My friend made herself a profile on the net, and found 10-15 matching fiancés, Pallavi tells.

Minimalizing risks

However the Kadams are not convinced that partners should be found on your own.

- When a boy is looking for a girl, he mostly thinks about her looks, Baburao Kadam suspects.

Pallavi Kadam is concerned about whether the person on the net is giving a truthful picture of himself. And what if the sparkle starts burning before the important matching factors has been properly clarified?

- I have seen what kind of lives my friends live when they choose their love by themselves. They want to break up and get back together, break up and get back together, Pallavi wonders.

That starts to sound nervously familiar. It’s western relationship culture at its best!

- If there is a problem with the arranged marriage, parents are always there to help. If you find a partner by yourself, you have the responsibility, Pallavi adds.

The Kadams have settled down to Finland very well in these five years. Even the language is not that strange anymore. What if someday Aditi brings home a Finnish boyfriend?

Pallavi and Bapurao are smiling.

- Then we will have to accept it.
- We cannot even imagine what the ways to find a partner will be like once Aditi comes to that age.

Article written by Natalia Kisnanen
Originally published in Vantaan Lauri
Translated by Heidi Bäckström

A moment with the director: Interview with Reetta Flink

Everyone knows that without a director, a play is like a body without a soul. Reetta Flink, however, is much more than a director. She has been in the project since the very first day. Planning the whole show, being a general coordinator, she is one of the script writers and also a choreographer for the play's biggest musical scene. I met her after long and tiring rehearsals, and still she had the energy to give an interview. Remarkable!

- You are being called “The Messenger of Bollywood”. How come you got interested in Bollywood in the first place?

- I saw my first two Bollywood films in 2002 at the Love & Anarchy Film Festival (Lagaan and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham). My friend had told me: "In fifteen minutes, you'll know whether you like it or not." I think I decided in five minutes - I loved it!

During her studies, Reetta worked for two months as an internship in India, because the only way to get to know Bollywood is to go to work with it in Mumbai. The trip left her with fond memories of the capital of the Hindi cinema.

- I will never forget my interview with the director-choreographer Farah Khan, or meeting the director Karan Johar and to be able to tell him how his "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" changed my life. I met the composer legend Naushad, who gave me his blessings, I got a chance to follow several days of shooting with one of my favorite director Ram Gopal Varma. On the top of that I met many actors; Kajol, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Hema Malini, Hrithik Roshan- just to mention a few. I also had a tiny speaking role in Vikram Bhatt's ”Speed” and danced in a musical scene of Karan Johar's ”Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”.

- How did the "Ek Kahani" get started?

- Well, first of all, Caisa contacted me in the autumn. They wanted to do an India -themed event and gave me very little time to come up with ideas. As Ilona already told you, we first started joking about a play during the promotion video shooting for the Bolly Beat Dancers. Everybody saw how Ilona and Aditya's love story would make a great plot for a Bollywood film. We soon realized that, in fact, it was a brilliant idea. I talked about it with Sari Breilin (the head of Bolly Beat Dancers), and then proposed it together with other plans to Caisa. They absolutely fell in love with the idea of a Bollywood play and so we fixed the date.

Reetta directing the Bolly Beat promo video

This is not the first time Reetta Flink directs. Ever since her early childhood, she has been fascinated by the world of cinema. She knew that as an adult, she wanted to work with movies.

At the age of 12 her mom saw how much she was fascinated by movies, and put her in a cinematography course series at the Toteemi Children's Art Centre. The course involved all essential parts of movie making from script writing to filming and editing.

During her teens, Reetta studied acting, singing and dancing in the Performing Arts School Musti and in the Martinlaakso Upper Secondary School's theater group, which both held annual performances. She felt that it was important to do some acting herself to gather insight on how actors work.

After elementary school, Reetta continued her film studies in the Voionmaa Institute and later in the Tampere Polytechnic School of Art and Media where she graduated as an editor in 2006. Her final thesis was about the musical scenes of Bollywood movies.

- Do you have any favorite parts in "Ek Kahani"?

- I love the scene in which the two protagonists meet for the first time as stereotypes are reversed. The other scene which I like is the one where Amit calls his mother to tell about the girl he has met. Dramaturgically, it is a breathtaking scene. The dialogue is very realistic, the feelings are raw, it is overall a very strong scene. Funny fact: one of the characters is named after me. It is just because we wanted a name which foreign people tend to pronounce wrong. It adds to the funny side of "Ek Kahani"!

- Has everything gone smoothly during the rehearsals?

- More or less. The biggest difficulty for me has been organizing rehearsals. The actors of the play have their everyday lives; jobs; families; their own timetables; and it is not always easy to coordinate everything. For example our dance number "Saj Dhaj Ke" has over 20 dancers on stage. Now try to coordinate group rehearsal for them all!

- How do you feel like directing this play?

- I am enjoying it so much! Directing has always been closest to my heart, it comes naturally to me. Also, "Ek Kahani" is a Bollywood play, and directing it is like a dream come true. Sometimes I fear that I'm pushing my actors too much, but to make a good show, one has to work. Most of the actors don't have much acting experience but they are nevertheless doing a wonderful job. I love to see how the actors start trusting on each other - how the play becomes alive and starts living on its own. It is awesome and I'm proud of my actors.

- Does the play have many musical scenes?

- But of course, it wouldn't be Bollywood play without a plenty of them. Musical scenes also have many different kinds of music instead of just Bollywood. I have to thank all the choreographers for all the brilliant, new choreographs we have in this show – they have done a splendid job!

- You have said that you like theater, but cinema will always be closest to your heart. Do you have any future plans in this field?

- Yes, I'm working on a script for a short film and negotiating with the producers. It will be a dance film. Right now I am just waiting for the premiere night of "Ek Kahani". I can't wait to see how magnificent it will be!

Text by: Laura Kunnas
Thanks to A.F.!

How did the second photoshoot go?

The Cultural Centre Caisa asked for more pictures for the poster, and we arranged a photoshoot at very short notice. The photographer was Nita Vera, a talented young artist who took also the first promotional pictures.

We didn't have a wind machine, but we had a fan!

Arti and Reetta are carefully adjusting Ilona's dress.

The heroine and the hero with very matching costumes.

The happy and tired family posing after the successful photo shoot. Hiti, Arti, Reetta, Nita, Ilona and Sari.

Reetta, the director is happy and satisfied with the result.

A glimpse into the acting rehearsal

Sudhi (Amit) and Siva (Pappu). Best friends in the play, and looks like they are getting along well also in real life.

Ilona, Sudhi and Siva. Long time no seen!

Ilona is thinking of something.

Virpi (Reetta) stitching an imaginary dress.

Siva (Pappu) seeing through Sudhi's (Amit) explanations?

Sudhi, Ilona and Virpi. Sudhi is clearly thinking the two girls are insane.

Virpi thinking hard.

Siva, Sudhi and Virpi making some changes to their lines.

Pictures from the very first script reading

Aditya, Sudhi, Reetta and Heidi. And the impressive snack table!

Reetta, our director, discussing the script with Sudhi (our Amit).

Ilona, Reetta and Heidi. Is there possibly some difficulties in understanding what the director wants?

Finally we all got it!

Making of Ek Kahani - photos from dance rehearsals

Heidi, Sari, Virpi and Ilona. And a very creative atmosphere.

Virpi, Sanna, Sari, Ilona, Susanna and Laura S. Virpi and Ilona are teaching the new steps.

Ilona, Susanna and Laura S dancing with attitude.

Almost all the actors, actresses and dancers together in the late night practice for the biggest bollywood style party scene of the year.

Balle balle! Manish and Saurabh are preparing for their solo.

What is Bollywood?

Over 1000 films are made each year in India. Only a couple of those films get to be seen in the movie theatres of the western world.

The Indian cinema is divided into 11 ”cinema-centres”, according to the language spoken in the films. The biggest one is the Hindi-speaking Bollywood. Second comes Tamil-speaking Kollywood, and third the Telugu-speaking Tollywood.

The home of Bollywood cinema is Mumbai, located in the marathi-speaking state of Maharashtra. Until 1995, the city was called Bombay, hence the name for the films. Nowadays Mumbai is considered to be the biggest cinema base in India. Over 200 films are produced there each year.

Bollywood films are spoken in Hindustani. It is a language composed of Hindi and Urdu, and often also English words are added to it. In India, people call Bollywood plainly Hindi cinema. Bollywood films are watched especially in Northern India, where most people understand Hindi. They are also very popular in Africa, Great Britain, USA, Canada, Western Asia, Russia and Pakistan.

A Bollywood film is a 3-4 hour musical film, which has a melodramatic and stereotyped storyline. Typically they include various subplots, flashbacks and musical scenes filmed abroad. Usually a Bollywood film also has a moral teaching for its audience.

The structure of a Bollywood film is divided into two parts. During the first half, the characters and the themes of the film are presented to the audience. Getting to know and identify to the characters happens through musical scenes, which there are plenty in the beginning of a movie. The intermission takes place just after the storyline culminates into a great change experienced by the main character. It might be change of location to another country, the death of a central character, or a crisis in the life of the protagonist. Bollywood films end most of the time into a catharsis.

Bollywood films are also called Masala films, named after the Indian mixture of spices. That is because inside one film, many different genres can be found: comedy, action, drama…

Nowadays, besides traditionnal Bollywood films, parallel cinema and modern Bollywood are being made. The directors of parallel cinema try to tell more realistic stories about the Indian life. The directors of modern Bollywood are more interested into remaking Hollywood films by adapting them to fit an Indian taste.

Text by: Reetta Flink
Translation by: Laura Kunnas 

Ek Kahani - A real story

”Ek Kahani” is a story of the problems immigrants may face in their new homeland, a story of friendship without boundaries and of strength to overcome all difficulties, but also, it is the love story of an Indian man and a Finnish woman.

This story is based on real life events. And I got to meet the charming couple behind it. I interviewed Ilona on a break between the play practices. Aditya, unfortunately, couldn’t come, but sent his greetings through his wife.

Ilona has lived all her life in Finland, whereas Aditya comes from Hyderabad, India. It is a true miracle – destiny or coincidence – that these two persons born on the opposite sides of the world ever even met. As Ilona tells me their story, I feel more and more as if I would be listening to a fairy tale or the plot of a film rather than a real life story.

”There are many scenes in the play which were written exactly after what actually happened. But for the sake of a good play, we also have changed lots. Not everything that works in real life would work in a musical. For example Pappu’s character is entierly fictional”, Ilona explains. ”However the scene in which the two protagonists meet happens in the same place as it did in real life.”

Ilona and Aditya met one evening in 2009 at the Central Railway Station of Helsinki. That already is a very bollywoodish location. Aditya had come to Finland for his work. Ilona had just returned from a two month trip to India she been on with her friends, a proof of her fascination for foreign cultures. That evening, our hero and heroine ended up talking for hours, and later met again. And again, and again, and again…

I asked Ilona how her and Aditya’s story was chosen to be the base for the whole play.

”Oh, it just happened,” Ilona laughs. ”I have been dancing with Bolly Beat Dancers since last year, and last autumn while filming the promo-video, someone asked me about how I met my husband. I told them, and they went like: ”Oh, that sounds like a Bollywood movie!”. Then we started joking about making a Bollywood play out of our love story, and it happened the joke became reality.”
The director of ”Ek Kahani”, Reetta Flink, had already been planning a Bollywood event for Caisa. It wasn’t a hard choice for anyone to convert the planned dance event into a dance play.

However, like all good stories, Ilona’s and Aditya’s love story faced difficulties due to not only cultural differences but also the problems a long distance relationship might cause. Aditya’s work in Finland was almost done and he would soon be forced to leave Finland. And Ilona.
”Well, it was a situation in which we had only two choices. To break up, or get married”, Ilona remembers. ”We didn’t want to break up. So we chose the latter option.”

Ilona flew to India for a month to meet Aditya’s parents and to get married to her hero. Her parents had to come too, but because of a series of unfotunate events, their flight was delayed. They arrived a few days after their daughter, in time for the wedding.

”It was that winter during which there was too much snow for the planes to start. I was horrified to go to India all alone. Also, I didn’t have any choice but to stay with Aditya’s family. Fortunately all went well, in spite of a few cultural differences that would have surprised any Finnish person”, Ilona tells me. ”Before the wedding, I couldn’t to stay too long out in the courtyard or else the neighbours would have seen me. And not under any circumstances was I allowed to go out together alone with Aditya, my fiancé.”

Now Aditya and Ilona live in Helsinki, Finland. Do they dance together? Yes, of course, though Ilona might be a bit more inclined towards dancing, the couple took bhangra lessons together in the autumn and performed in the same Christmas show. They both can be seen on the Bolly Beat Dancers’ video. And they both will act in our ”Ek Kahani”.

In the end, I must ask the couple the classical question relating to cross-culturality. What does Aditya think of Finland? And what does Ilona think of India?

At first, coming from the enormous Hyderabad and having worked in Tokyo before, Aditya didn’t feel like Helsinki was a city at all. It was very small for him. He was most annoyed that he couldn’t read anything; English is not much used in Finland, for example in shops, all information on merchandise is written in Finnish. Now he is taking Finnish lessons. He enjoys that everything is rather simple and works so well in his new home country. He has grown to like the easiness of life and he feels at home. Ilona answers for herself. ”To me, India is original, strong and colorful. Beautiful.”

Text by: Laura Kunnas