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
Like many, I have a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. However, I don’t have a love-hate relationship with romance. And there’s all kinds of films I wind up watching and re-watching just because I love their (textually or subtextually) romantic content. They may not be great movies or deep movies, they may be comedies or… Read More Looking for love in all the wrong places
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so here’s a list of some of my favorite love stories! (Yes, I count The Doctor and Rose as a love story, albeit not necessarily in the traditional sense.) Books, Plays, etc. Little John and Cecily, Outlaws of Sherwood, by Robin McKinley Vicky and Adam, A Ring of… Read More Caught in a good romance
Seeing the trailers for the big budget action flicks The Last Airbender and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time during the Super Bowl last night added a touch of racefail to the primarily misogynistic slant of this year’s commercials. Both films — one based on a cartoon and the other on a video game —… Read More Airbenders, Persians and Racefail, oh my!
I don’t know why people are so surprised that Vanity Fair‘s “New Hollywood” cover and feature story is composed solely of thin, fair-skinned women who are dressed and made-up to look as waifish and generic as possible. Forget the publication’s name referencing Thackeray’s novel, I think “Vanity” and “Fair” kinda says it all. Yes, these women… Read More Vanity UnFair: Going Beyond the Pale
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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