A fictional biopic loosely based on real-life 1980s item girl Silk Smitha, Milan Luthria’s The Dirty Picture has taken Bollywood by storm. It’s a common narrative — a small town girl with big dreams of fame is soon chewed up and spit out by an ugly, male-dominated machine — but what stands out is the… Read More Snapshots of The Dirty Picture
Last night I had the chance to see the rollicking Indian comedy Delhi Belly for the second time, and the only stomach pains I came away with were ones from laughter! The story of three slacker friends unwittingly getting involved with a smuggling ring, Delhi Belly is very much a film about young Indians doing what… Read More Delhi Belly Offers Up Belly Laughs!
Dharma Productions’ new release I Hate Luv Storys vexed me from the get-go because the title is misspelled. My shields went up, and I automatically assumed the film was going to be just cringe-inducing and cutesy as the title…which I quickly realized was kind of the point. I enjoy it when Bollywood does movies about Bollywood —… Read More I Hate Luv Storys…except when I’m ambivalent about them.
I just watched 2007’s Namastey London, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, and I’m amazed that what’s meant to be a fairly lighthearted romantic comedy has my head swirling with thoughts! The basic premise: Jasmeet “Jazz” Malhotra is a girl from a traditional Punjabi family, raised in England, and when her father has enough of… Read More Namastey London, and hello analysis
I did a feature for this month’s issue of ABCDlady Magazine with actor Samrat Chakrabarti (New York, The Waiting City). Since we talked extensively about his work and what it’s like being being outside the typical American desi confines of doctor/lawyer/engineer, there’s plenty more where that came from! Check out Chakrabarti’s thoughts on tackling regional Bengali… Read More Samrat Chakrabarti navigates world cinema
Nina Paley’s Sita Sings the Blues made waves last year, and continues to ripple throughout the South Asian community, the film community, and across the Internet. When I spoke to the writer/director/animator for a feature at ABCDlady magazine, I had so much of our discussion left over that I knew I had to share some… Read More Nina Paley Offers Some Blues Clues
As Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan get set to debut their latest blockbuster, My Name is Khan (no, not a biopic but, rather, an exploration of life post-9/11 for a Muslim man with Asperger’s), it’s hard not to marvel at the trajectory of Khan’s career. Khan was a theater and TV actor who first made waves… Read More Khan pasina: the rise and reign of SRK
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