Category: Desis

Dangal (2016) starring Aamir Khan

Emma5 Comments

NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

Indian superstar Aamir Khan is known as a perfectionist, even when it comes to posters.  When I lived in NYC, I used to regularly attend monthly meetings of SAWCC (South Asian Women’s Creative Collective); though I wasn’t an artist (like most of the women), I wanted to meet interesting desis.  One night, we had a presentation by the young lady who’d worked as the main graphic artist on Lagaan (before moving to the U.S.)  She was working late in her Mumbai studio, when Aamir Khan called her up re: a small change to one of the poster designs.  Wow, talk about attention to detail!

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Young Mahavir (Aamir Khan) gets ready for a wrestling match.

This film will definitely hold the viewers’ attention, even more so than Lagaan, thanks in part to its exciting/tense action sequences.  But this isn’t a historical epic, it’s a (real-life) family story, which MAY be even more compelling to some of you who regularly read this blog.  I didn’t know anything about the story before going to see it last week, aside from the fact that Aamir had gained and lost a LOT of weight for his role.  I later learned that three out of the four (VERY natural) young actresses in the film hadn’t acted before!  I esp. liked the chemistry between the two girls who played the sisters as pre-teens, as well as the charm of their older teen boy cousin. 

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Life is sink or swim- a lesson that Mahavir wants his daughters to learn.

Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan), a former national wrestling champion, wins medals and respect in the ’80s.  Unfortunately, he never gets the opportunity to prove himself on the world stage; there is NOT enough money/resources dedicated to his sport.  He loves wresting, so he spends time training other men in the mud pits of his village.  After a time, Mahavir settles into married life (w/ his wife Daya, played by Shakshi Tanwar) and a desk job in his home region of Hariyana.  He has high hopes for a son, whom he plans to teach to be an even better wrestler than himself, and win gold for India. 

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Young Geeta is cheered by surprised locals after winning matches.

His wife gives birth to four daughters though the years.  Mahavir’s family and his small community is disappointed, thinking that the dream for wrestling glory is dead.  But after his two eldest girls, Geeta (Zaira Wasim) and Babita (Suhani Bhatnager), beat up two local boys who insulted them, Mahavir is spurred into action.  His daughters will become wrestlers under his coaching!  Gold is still gold, Mahavir is bold enough to think, and who’s to say that a girl can’t win one!?  Watch the trailer below.

 

Dear Zindagi (NOW PLAYING)

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Kaira (Alia Bhatt) working behind-the-scenes on a music video.

This is a MUST-SEE film (written/directed by Gauri Shinde) for anyone who has given up on Bollywood, thinking it TOO old-fashioned, formulaic, and obsessed solely w/ romance!  Kaira (Alia Bhatt, who also starred in 2 States) is a cinematographer in her early 20s who finds that avoiding romantic commitment does NOT always bring happiness.  She breaks up w/ her businessman boyfriend.  Then one of the other guys in her life, Raghu (Kunal Kapoor- who I first saw in Aaja Nachle), offers her a “dream job” in NYC.  And we can tell that Raghu wants to be MORE than friends!

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Kaira (Alia Bhatt) jokes with Raghu (Kunal Kapoor)

Kaira’s close friends, including Fatima (Fatty) and Jackie, grow concerned about her changing attitude and personality.  Anger bubbles up out of nowhere, she can’t sleep for MANY nights, and loses her Mumbai apartment (when tenants decide that ONLY married couples should live in their building).  Kaira is forced to go back to her hometown (Goa) and reevaluate her life.  To make things worse, Raghu suddenly gets engaged to his ex-girlfriend after they reconnect on that NYC movie set!

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Kaira meets with her therapist Dr. Khan (Shah Rukh Khan)

Finally, Shah Rukh has chosen a role that is apt for his age. His screen presence is definitely a treat to his fans! Alia Bhatt is definitely lucky in the aspect that she got a good role that aligns with her personality and of course she has excelled it!  -Excerpt from a IMDB review

Enter Dr. Jehangir Khan(Shah Rukh Khan), an psychologist who happens to love ripped jeans (just as Kaira does).  She is VERY reluctant to open up about her life, BUT he gains her trust w/ his patience, unorthodox methods, and (most crucial)- a judgment-free mind. At a beachside bar, Kaira and Jackie meet Rumi (Ali Zafar- who hails from Pakistan), a free-spirited singer/songwriter.  Zafar reminded me of Gael Garcia Bernal; his songs were pretty good, too. 

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Kaira listens intently to Dr. Khan during one of their sessions.

Kaira is eventually able to discuss her friendships (which she needs to pay MORE attention to), past romances (which she cut off when then men got TOO close), and her family (overbearing w/ their traditional expectations).  Aside from the typical pains of life as a young adult, there is something specific in Kaira’s childhood that is holding her back from the life that she wants.  

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Dr. Khan and Kaira sing an impromptu little song

Pluses- story, acting, cinematography; second half, the scenes which feature SRK and Alia. The family moments of Kiara and her family, her friends. The execution of the entire movie from event to event. The whole final act which leaves you in a happy mood. The breakdown sequence. The maturity in the direction which takes the movie into a new level. The dialogue given to SRK. Negatives- The music is good but isn’t great. The editing in the first half could have been better.

-Excerpt from another IMDB review

There were a FEW moments in where I was reminded of In Treatment (HBO), BUT this is an original story which has (probably) never been told in a mainstream Indian film.  Going into therapy is demystified in this film, which I think could be it’s best legacy.  

2 States (2014)

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Book cover and film poster

This rom com (based on the memoir of the same title by Chetan Bhagat)  came out in Spring 2014; I saw it two weeks back.  This is a fun, yet realistic film, that’s NOT only concerned w/ two MBA students falling in love, BUT what comes after (getting to know each other’s families and the drama that ensues).  To add a twist usually NOT seen in mainstream Indian films- Ananya (Alia Bhatt) is from the South; Krish (Arjun Kapoor) hails from the North. 

So, what’s the biggie here- they’re BOTH Hindu, right?  Yes, WE American desis MAY feel that way!  BUT their families who speak different languages and follow different customs, along w/ ALL the typical baggage (which you’d see in a film like Meet the Parents). 

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Chetan and Anusha Bhagat- the real couple behind this film

When they first meet in grad school, Ananya is annoyed that there is no beer at the local café.  Krish explains: “Gujarat is a dry state.”  He gets interested in her first, BUT thinks she’s “out of my league.”  Krish offers to help Ananya w/ Economics (which is her weak subject).  Their friendship quickly grows into love after he declares one night that he doesn’t ONLY want to be her buddy. 

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Ananya (Alia Bhatt) and Krish (Arjun Kapoor)

There are only a FEW songs in this film (which are quite good); you can get them from iTunes.  The music blends pretty well into the actions/emotions.  The students/dancers in the background actually look like real/average people, NOT models.  The run time could’ve been shorter.  I recommend it for ALL of you who wouldn’t usually give Bollywood a chance!             

 

The Eudora Welty Lecture Series at The National Cathedral: Salman Rushdie (October 20, 2016)

Emma3 Comments

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Salman Rushdie continues to be a controversial figure, but in today’s world, I feel that voices like his (British, Indian, and atheist) need to be heard MORE than ever!  Depending on your age, you may know Rushdie from the fatwa (which was placed on him by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran), his cameo on Bridget Jones’ Diary, or his short-lived marriage to Padma Lakhshmi (of Top Chef fame).  Or maybe you have a FEW of his books (BUT are intimidated to read)?  A few years ago, a book club I organized both read Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which is Rushdie’s YA book. 

*NOTE: Special thanks to my friend Lana for above photo and taking notes.

The Beginning of Rushdie’s Life as a Writer:

He realized that he would never write a good book until he knew who he was (not English, but Indian).

He was part of first generation of free Indian Children.

His father told bedtime stories (oral tradition strong in his family)- animal stories; tales of heroes.  His mother told local tales: gossip,  scandal, secrets (when he included  in stories, she said he “got in trouble”).  One of his academic grandfathers took him to university library, where he discovered Agatha Christie.  His other grandfather was a very religious man (prayed 5X/day, fasted, etc.) He was also open to any/all ideas; Rushdie admitted that he didn’t believe in God (age 10).

Read comics from early age.  He was lucky to have a lending library/bookstore nearby where he got into Perry Mason mysteries, Alice in Wonderland.

The Wizard of Oz (film) inspired him to write his first story at age 10.

His family had a tradition of kissing books and bread to apologize to it and place someplace where wouldn’t happen again (food for mind; food for the body).

Left Bombay 1961 for English boarding school at age 13 (his idea, not his parents’).  Maybe he had an”unnoticed love of adventure” b/c was quiet as a child?

Got into Cambridge, but didn’t want to go b/ c of racism faced at boarding school earlier.  He went and enjoyed it a lot; studied history; wrote for student newspaper.  He also got into Borges and Joyce at this time, and learned about incident of satanic verses (in his last semester).

His parents moved to Karachi, Pakistan; this was not an appealing place for him.  His father initially disapproved, but then supported his return to England after he graduated from Cambridge.

Wrote TV commercials and scripts in London for an ad agency (where he worked part-time).  In the early 1970s, he wrote and published, but these works were not successful because he hadn’t known himself enough.  He decided to understand what he was doing wrong and traveled to India, which entered state of emergency (1977).

Midnight’s Children: Started in 3rd person, but then told from Salim’s voice and it was better (voice not my own, but gave me voice).  Kept working  in advertising again to pay bills.  This book took 5 years to write it because was learning how to write.  He also needed to blend news with fiction.

Quotes:

Geography is key [to a person’s writing]. Writers (like Faulkner): Have roots/history and can mine the earth for a lifetime of stories.

Work we do about the past, changes the future.

 As we discover, we remember, as we remember, we discover.

Stories are not true- but can make you know truths that truths cannot tell.

Can’t write until you hear people speak, because can’t tell their story if you don’t hear their voice.

I think the greatest gift my family gave me was freethinking. 

[On his trip to India when writing Midnight’s Children]: From childhood, dig out memories from attics of mind.  Healing of rift within myself that separated me from my past…  drank deeply from well of India. 

Write what you know, but only if what you know is interesting.