June 1 2020 INL Digital Edition

20
JUNE 1, 2020
Covid-19 restrictions have
seen scores of restaurants
around the country close
their doors for good.
While the wage subsidy had
helped some, it did nothing to
help pay commercial rents, and
with little or no money coming
in, shutting up shop had been the
reality for many.
One Christchurch restaurateur
is bucking the trend, forging ahead
with the opening of his Indian
restaurant, despite the new normal.
All he was asking for was a little
help with the rent.
Tanveer Jahangir’s Top In Town
Restaurant was due to open on
March 15, 2020.
Having sold his home and
businesses in Brisbane and moved
his wife and five children to
Christchurch. He was all in, excited
about starting a new life in New
Zealand and anxious to see some
money coming in from his new
venture.
Then came Covid-19.
“It was all set up to go. We had
flyers printed and distributed and
our website... [then] our country
went into the lockdown.”
Everything was harder to do in
lockdown, let alone trying to hire
staff to work at a new restaurant.
Visa changes
Some of the chefs he was looking
to employ needed their work visas
changed, allowing them to switch
employer, but delays at Immigration
New Zealand meant they were
still not able to man his kitchen.
“I went into too much of a depression,
sleepless nights, thinking
of how the business will be after
this Covid 19.”
Entertainmentlink
Veteran Restauranteur to open Top in Town in Christchurch
Conan Young
Tanveer Jahangir
In the meantime, he continued to
pay rent on a restaurant that after
two long months he was still not
able to open.
“If my landlord listens to this
and (agrees to) waive this in a good
faith (way) in the long run it will
help for the owner and for me as
well...because without any income
coming through I am almost dried
up now...I am here to create more
jobs and bring something different
to the community.”
Determination succeeds
Despite everything, Jahangir was
determined to get his restaurant
open.
New rules banning buffets, due to
the risk of spreading Covid-19, were
brought in shortly after he had
installed expensive bain-maries.
The answer: glass screens shielding
the food from behind which wait
staff would do the serving instead.
Part of the move here was to
support his brother, fellow restaurateur
and Mosque shooting victim
Ahmed Jahangir.
As a Muslim, Tanveer had
no misgivings about moving to
Christchurch despite last year’s
shootings and wanted to pay it back
to the health workers who helped
his brother, once the restaurant
was up and going.
Open invitation
“When the Mosque shooting
happened I flew from Australia
to Christchurch and stood in the
hospital for 12 days, and the job
they have done, I cannot explain,
from my heart, it is a tremendous
job they have done. As a gesture, I
cannot do much, but on my opening
day, I want to invite each and every
health worker from Christchurch
or wherever to come and enjoy free
lunch and dinner on that particular
day. It will be from our heart,” he
said.
The invite was also open to the
Police Officers who helped out
that day, who he said had helped
Muslims in Christchurch to feel safe
again.
On the day Checkpoint visited,
things were looking up.
Tanveer had just received an
email saying Immigration were
prioritising sorting the paper work
for his chefs. He said that all going
well, he would have the restaurant
open in two weeks.
A couple of Bengalis get to
International Film Festivals
Auckland productions ‘Amigo’ and ‘Belladona’ for Rome and Istanbul
Venkat Raman
Imagine being grounded for two
years as a result of Covid-19
lockdown.
Again imagine that you are
alone- no one around for conversation
except ‘Amigo,’ an Artificial Device,
with perhaps equal intelligence
challenging a human.
How would life be in solitude with
a machine?
That form the core of ‘Amigo,’ a film
shot entirely in Auckland- entirely on
mobile- and entirely during the lockdown
Alert 4 period in New Zealand.
The film has been produced by
Euphoria Entertainment, a South
Asian Performing Arts Group.
Media Representative Preeta
Vyas said that ‘Amigo’ won the ‘Best
Lockdown-themed Short Film’ at
the ‘Shoestring Film Challenge 2020’
under the ‘Best Short film short on a
mobile phone.’
“This achievement has qualified
‘Amigo 1.0’ to enter the Istanbul Film
Festival 2020. Directed by Anirban
Datta, with Swastika Ganguly in the
lead role, the film reflects the Indian
culture (in Bengali) in New Zealand,”
she said.
‘Belladona,’ another achiever
Ms Vyas said that the South Asia
Performing Arts Group registered
another achievement recently.
Its ‘Belladona,’ has been selected for
presentation at the Rome Prisma Independent
Film Awards and Istanbul
Film Awards 2020.
“The film has been nominated for
‘Best Narrative,’ ‘Best Foreign Film,’
‘Best Debutant Director’ and ‘Best
Actress’ Awards. ‘Belladona’ is a psychological
thriller based on an urban
Swastika Ganguly in Amigo (Screenshot)
legend surrounding the mystical
foothills of the majestic Himalayas in
Northern India,” she said.
Directed by Anirban Datta, the film
features Swastika Ganguly in the titular
role, Bikram Banerjee in another
lead role, Rishabh Kapoor, Raj Singh,
Devadatt Manohar Paranjape, James
Duncan, Saswata Ray and Vijayendra
Bose.
About Shoestring
Born out of an ambitious Fringe
production, the Shoestring Theatre
Challenge focuses on the lighter aspects
of a show- bringing the artistic
talents of people.
As the intro says, “The fun aspect
takes priority over the stressful
parts of production (worrying about
venues, budgets and filling seats). Our
secondary aim is accessibility; anyone
who wants, can come together, make
their own One-Act play in a month for
$20 and exhibit at a free, one-nightly
only event. The audience could be
their family and friends.”
Launched in 2010, the Shoestring
Theatre Challenge has been held in
Wellington and Auckland.
“Amigo is among a few Firsts: This
is the first Shoestring Challenge for
film, First time online and first time
going national.”
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