Screen,an integral part of my life

Screen turned 60 on September 21. At a grand old age,the paper has donned a new look and is now younger,more...

Screen turned 60 on September 21. At a grand old age,the paper has donned a new look and is now younger,more graceful and vibrant. All raring to go,literally. Gone is the broadsheet format that Screen has been known for and the new tabloid form is giving the paper a finer and elegant look. While it is the format that first catches the eye,Screen,in its 64-page look,will have an added advantage of being content-oriented along with breaking news and current affairs as also breathtaking pictures and posters.

I have seen Screen go through various changes over the two decades since I have been a part of it. After having passed out of college along with a degree in journalism,I got a break in Screen under the editorship of Udaya Tara Nayyar and have been here since. That was one of the major events of my life. The office was situated at the Express Towers at Nariman Point before moving,for a brief period,to Lower Parel and then Lalbaug,and now shifting back to Nariman Point.

However,those were the days when the computer was just ‘surfacing’ on the scene and I remember how all of us would write our articles on the typewriter. Long-winding,full broadsheet page interviews and lengthy stories were the order of the day. Today,we have the Internet to check on facts and details,but back then there was no major reference point. We had to depend on our seniors to part with interesting facts and anecdotes about the stars and the era gone by. I had the privilege of working with brilliant writers like Sanjit Narvekar,Ali Peter John,M.S.M. Desai and Jivraj Burman. I am still in touch with Vinod Kumta,Nichola D’Souza (Pais),Stardust Gonsalves,Padmaraj Nair, and Sharon Gonsalves,all of who were a part of Screen long ago. I was fortunate to meet R.M.Kumtakar,who is remembered fondly even today by veterans in the industry.

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Over the years,Screen has also seen its ups and downs. To enhance the sales of the paper,Screen went in for a cosmetic change in the early 90s and turned into tabloid. But when the old familiar size was missed by readers,it was brought back to the good old broadsheet form. It was also a big moment when the black-and-white paper turned into colour.

Another big moment is the Screen awards that has the entire film fraternity gracing the event every year. There is a lot of effort that goes into making this big event a success and it boasts the staffs ego to the fullest. That is one event that is much awaited by Screen team as well as the film indsutry. Lately we have had celebrities visiting the office on different occasions for events like Big Picture,Screen Chatroom and Screen Preview,giving us an opportunity to get up,close and personal with them.

Going back,as a kid,I remember ‘browsing’ through the copies of Screen whenever I visited my uncle’s home in Chembur and being fascinated by the ‘big’ pictures of famous ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines’,as,at that time,content did not matter to me. I loved the paper then and when I joined Screen as a reporter,my entire family was very happy for me. Screen has always been an integral part of my life.

I take this opportunity to wish Screen a very long and colourful life.

namita.nivas@expressindia.com

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