Tag: Comedy
Today’s Special (2009)
See Aasif Mandvi before he got famous (I did- he visited an youth center where I volunteered)! While he was pretty awkward with the teens (he’s a single guy with no kids), the theatrically-trained actor has become a name in comedy, thanks to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Recently, he relased his funny memoir- No Land’s Man.
Mandvi recently commented that the romance was tacked on to market the story, but it’s essentially a story about dealing with your past (in this case, one’s heritage and father) in order to move forward in life. NYC-based sous chef Samir (Mandvi) is passed over for a much-anticipated promotion by his egotistical boss/chef, Steve (Dean Winters of Oz and SVU fame). He goes back to check out how things are going in the family restaurant (Tandoori Palace) in the old ‘hood. This film was mainly shot inside an Indian restaurant in my old ‘hood (Jackson Heights, Queens) in the Summer of 2008. (I noticed that there was a covering around it for a few days, with a few young PAs hanging about.) His father Hakim (Harish Patel, an Indian TV star) is shocked to see Samir out of the blue. Suddenly, a health issue forces Hakim to rest at home, and Samir takes over the restaurant.
Samir, who knows nothing re: Indian food, luckily meets Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah, a veteran of international cinema)- a horrid taxi driver but masterful chef. Shah steals the film with his charm, humor, and laid-back style. Rarely has an elderly desi man been so cool! This is one father-figure that understands Samir easily, unlike his own dad.
Ironically, actress/cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey (mother of Mandv’is close pal, Sakina) does no cooking here! (Sakina Jaffrey played the VP on House of Cards recently.) She plays Samir’s matchmaking mom, Farida, who sets him up on dates w/ Indian-American women via an online database (like Shaadi.com). LOL… or is this getting TOO real for some of you? There are some touching scenes in this film, aside from the relatable comedy (esp. for desi Muslims out there). Check this film (on Netflix now) out ASAP!
Mid-Season Trailers/TV Spots
Backstrom (Fox) – A police procedural set in Portland; starring Rainn Wilson (The Office)
Empire (Fox) – A family drama series set in the hip hop music world; starring Terrence Howard & Taraji P. Henson; premieres WED, 1/7
Galavant (ABC) – A 4-week musical comedy miniseries starting SUN, 1/4
The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore (Comedy Central)
Togetherness (HBO) – A comedy created by Jay & Mark Duplass; starring Mark Duplass & Amanda Peet; premieres SUN, 1/11
Younger (TV Land) – A comedy from Darren Star (SATC); starring Broadway star Sutton Foster, Debi Mazar, & Hilary Duff; premieres WED, 1/14
Rock the Casbah (2013)
The acting is great- all were convincing as Moroccans with good accents and French language. The highlight was Nadine Labaki’s performance, though a secondary role, she stole the scenes with her funny “bitchy” attitude and added many comic relief along with her Grandma. Nadine is famous Lebanese director known for “Caramel” but she is also an acclaimed actress. The multi-talented Hiaam Abbas who appears in many foreign movies, she manages to reincarnate the role of a Moroccan mother with strict high values and morals. -IMDB reviewer
This stereotype-defying film (a mix of comedy and drama) was part of the Arabian Sights Film Festival in DC. It was written/directed by Laila Marrakchi, a young Moroccan woman. I saw it this Fall (with 2 members of a movie Meetup) at the French Embassy; the main language in the film is French (with a good mix of Arabic and English).
When patriarch Moulay Hassan (Omar Sharif) dies, his extended family, employees, and community gather at his palatial estate (in Marrakech by the coast) for his funeral. We meet his strong widow, Aicha (internationally-renown Israeli Arab actress, Hiam Abbas, from The Visitor). Moulay’s daughters are all quite unique women; there is NYC-based actress/black sheep Sofia (Morjana Alaoui) with her young son, glamorous/dramatic housewife Miriam (Nadine Labaki)- on the verge of an affair, and straight-laced/religious professor Kenza (Lubna Azabal) whose teen son wants to act on Broadway. Sharif appears in a few scenes, adding a magical element of this fine film.
We are put in the shoes of the outsider, Sofia, who has recently separated from her director husband (an Irish-American). She hasn’t been home in many years; it was too painful to face the past (we learn why) and she has made a moderate success of herself in the U.S. (usually playing a terrorist). Sofia’s adorable 6 year-old son, Noah, is excited about experiencing a new culture and playing with a large crew of cousins. He’s hesitant to eat the new foods.
When her reddish-haired grandmother comments that Sofia shouldn’t have married a “foreigner,” Sofia good-naturedly reminds the older lady that she was once a foreigner (being a French woman). “But I married a Muslim and an Arab,” the grandmother says with a sly smile. As the days go by, secrets are revealed about another sister, their beloved housekeeper Yacout (who raised all the girls, as well as her own son), and Moulay. Sofia, who yearns for openness and honesty, is frustrated by (more conventional) sisters. However, she doesn’t have to live in the strictly stratified, dualistic society (people pray in the morning, but don’t necessarily shy away from alcohol and dancing later in the day).
Beyond Bollywood International Film Festival
Meet the Patels (2014)
This documentary from LA-based brother-sister team, Ravi (actor/main subject) and Geeta (director) Patel, is scary relatable for desi (and other singles) all over the US! When he turned 30 a few years ago, first gen Indian-American Ravi (who’d had only one real relationship with a white woman) agreed to try the traditional Indian way of finding a wife; this (of course) brought joy to his mother and father in North Carolina. Geeta, his older sis, came along to film the experience.
The family went off to the Punjab region of India to look at eligible single ladies (fellow Patels); Ravi felt odd about the scenario. However, he also admitted that he loved the way he grew up- with a strong sense of pride in being a Patel and having an extensive community; he wanted that for his future. After the trip to India (doesn’t work for him), Ravi says he’ll accept arranged introductions to women born/raised in the U.S. He also attends a large marriage conference (for singles of the Patel community in the U.S.); it looks very similar to ISNA.
We learn that as tough as it is for Ravi, Geeta went though the same situations (she thinks she’s had 200 arranged dates since age 20- wow!) The true stars if the doc are the parents- Champa (mom) and Vasant (dad), who proclaims that being single is akin to being a “loser.” But they are no stereotype- they are loving/caring/thoughtful parents who want their kids to be happy… and someday soon give them grandchildren. In the end, Ravi does find his match, but she’s not who you’d expect! This film is laugh-out-loud hilarious; my friends and I all thought so.
Brahmin Bulls (2013)
This is a powerful (yet subtle) film from a husband-wife team (Indian-Americans) who are friends of the lead actor (Sendhil Ramamurthy from Heroes fame; he is American with South Indian roots). Director/writer Mahesh Pailoor and Ramamurthy have known each other since undergrad; this role was written for the actor. The focus is on the strained/distant relationship between 30-something L.A. architect, Sid Sharma (Ramamurthy) and his professor father, Ash (internationally-acclaimed Indian veteran actor, Roshan Seth). Mary Steenburgen has a crucial role in the film, too. Wow, what cast! (By the way, if you’re a fan of tennis, you’ll especially enjoy this film. Ramamurthy had a scholarship in undergrad, he said in a post-show panel interview).
When Ash drops in from Boston to attend a conference in LA. (you’ll discover the reason why), Sid is very taken aback. He’s going through a transition in his marriage and at work, and doesn’t feel comfortable having the old man around in his house. Both men are brooding, charming, intelligent, but also quite stubborn; this is the making for great dramatic conflict. However, they have more in common than you’d expect! My friends said they liked the movie a lot, as did I.
Knightleyemma 