Goldie Bhel's Maha mantra

He comes from a gregarious Punjabi community, while his wife belongs to a pragmatic Maharastrian clan. Although the Punju munda can barely say a few wordsu00a0 like 'kay jhala' in Marathi, filmmaker-TV producer Goldie Behl has tried to put across his understanding of wife Sonali Bendre's community in a creative format through a TV soap. Goldie speaks to CS about all that he likes about Maharashtrians:



Progressive boundaries
Though I don't live in Shivaji Park, I understand the mentality of the people living there. Whenever I visit my brother-in-law's place in the prized locality of Dadar, he, my son Ranvir and I usually step down for a walk. My brother-in-law sheds light on how, though the community has progressed, it is still of importance to get married in the Park hall; play cricket in the centre-pitch of the massive ground; and what the katta (boundary wall) means to the residents. I was partially aware of all this as I went to Bombay Scottish school, which is in Mahim. There is that modern train of thought that contrasts with old school training yet co-exists beautifully.

Practical lot
Maharashtrian women are immensely pragmatic. The entire community, on an average, is very literate and aware. They firmly have their heads on their shoulders and education is extremely important to them. My father-in-law, for instance, was a government servant who worked in the CWC. Till date he goes to the Sarkari Kendra to get his asthma medicine. We let him do so because he finds comfort in doing so.

Tongue talk
Sonali's upbringing has been very different from mine. I've had a filmi upbringing and so my parents have been far more liberal than Sonali's. But we've adjusted well to each other's cultural differences. I understand Marathi fairly well, though I don't talk it much. Ranvir speaks to Sonali in Marathi sometimes, after all it's his mother tongue, and understands much more of the language than I do.

Marathi fare
Sonali's family is CKP and I like the way they make fish and mutton. I just love their alu ki sabzi. I'm not too big on the fancy stuff like puran polis. The simple varan bhat is my favourite. And though Sonali rules in the house, our kitchen is dominated by my mother. So Punjabi food is what we eat daily. I remember once my in-laws had come over and they were whispering in wonder to each other that we have shaadi ka khana everyday!