Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
My new story on Indian Cinema - East Bay Express
30/07/08 10:38 Filed in: Filmi
I'm the feature story in this week's East Bay
Express - a Northern CA weekly.
Namastey East Bay
The local Indian filmmaking community has Bollywood dreams. The goal is not as far-fetched as it might once have seemed.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/namastey_east_bay/Content?oid=799102
I'm excited about the feature because the Express is the only one of several local magazines I've been pitching stories about Indian cinema to lately that bit. It's been perplexing to me a little, because as I may write about later, for a whole bunch of reasons I think that N Cal is so ready to read more about Indian cinema. And I'm so ready to write more!
It was great working with the Express- the editors were responsive and sensitive to some of the preferences I expressed (ie: avoiding the word "Bollywood" in my narrative, though you'll notice many of the people I quote use it. Hey - chacun à son goût!), and I felt we worked together well to craft an interesting piece. They originally proposed an article title that included the word "Bollywood," and we compromised for the "Namastey" title and "Bollywood" in the "deck." I love the wink in "Namastey East Bay" - not only does it rhyme, but it's a nod to 2007's "Namastey London," which is one of the films I'll be looking at in more depth in my next book, which is just in its embryo stages.
Working with a paper for the first time I can get a little anxious about the relationship with the editor. I was once commissioned for a cover story interview (for a magazine that doesn't exist anymore) where the editor changed both my quotes AND those of my interviewee to create a story angle she wanted (she was convinced my interviewee was in a secret relationship with the director of a film about her, and wanted that to be the drama of the interview). It tried my abilities to be diplomatic to keep what I thought was the integrity of the piece. And I chose not to work with them again.
Check it out - I'm interested in your feedback.
Namastey East Bay
The local Indian filmmaking community has Bollywood dreams. The goal is not as far-fetched as it might once have seemed.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/news/namastey_east_bay/Content?oid=799102
I'm excited about the feature because the Express is the only one of several local magazines I've been pitching stories about Indian cinema to lately that bit. It's been perplexing to me a little, because as I may write about later, for a whole bunch of reasons I think that N Cal is so ready to read more about Indian cinema. And I'm so ready to write more!
It was great working with the Express- the editors were responsive and sensitive to some of the preferences I expressed (ie: avoiding the word "Bollywood" in my narrative, though you'll notice many of the people I quote use it. Hey - chacun à son goût!), and I felt we worked together well to craft an interesting piece. They originally proposed an article title that included the word "Bollywood," and we compromised for the "Namastey" title and "Bollywood" in the "deck." I love the wink in "Namastey East Bay" - not only does it rhyme, but it's a nod to 2007's "Namastey London," which is one of the films I'll be looking at in more depth in my next book, which is just in its embryo stages.
Working with a paper for the first time I can get a little anxious about the relationship with the editor. I was once commissioned for a cover story interview (for a magazine that doesn't exist anymore) where the editor changed both my quotes AND those of my interviewee to create a story angle she wanted (she was convinced my interviewee was in a secret relationship with the director of a film about her, and wanted that to be the drama of the interview). It tried my abilities to be diplomatic to keep what I thought was the integrity of the piece. And I chose not to work with them again.
Check it out - I'm interested in your feedback.
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Majbur
08/07/08 19:36 Filed in: Filmi
This past weekend I trucked it to the local Hindi
cinema to see the new Yash Raj offering -
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. YR has been
taking a beating lately in terms of audience, and
I'm interested to see the different formulas
they're trying. By turns I was both endeared by
and also annoyed by the hipster Inglish used to
promote Tashan, and I imagine they had
high hopes with the star star star star cast.
Anywho, there were some delightful moments in the film for me - mostly linked to the nationalism thread I'm tracing in film. The first dance number finds the kids bored in a museum, and their angel guardian, walks them through history, saying India has come a long way and will still go far, thumbing her nose at racist colonials along the way and inserting herself into grainy archival footage of Gandhi. "Now we will make everyone dance to our tunes," she chirps, kids in tow. It would sound ominous but for the Disney--fied setting.
In LA Geeta the angel switched the HOLLYWOOD sign to read BOLLYWOOD (anyone else see a pattern developing in this film?)
But for me the penultimate surprise comes at the end of the film when Geeta in her hiding place is virtually upstaged by the large BUCK FUSH scratched into the brick wall. Kyaa baat hai!! After the sweetness of the film, with its clean and bright Yash Raj stylee, that was like jumping into a cold pool- a shocking wakeup that got me thinking. We need more Hindi film exposure in the US to give more people a chance to see some of the perceptions of our country from other places, 'cause we Americans may not be all clued in. This kind of message in such a mainstream family film is something worth noticing. Oh, and how about more people who aren't put off by subtitles? That might help.
If you're really looking around, you can read my snarky comment on the film at the Guardian's blogsite.
Anywho, there were some delightful moments in the film for me - mostly linked to the nationalism thread I'm tracing in film. The first dance number finds the kids bored in a museum, and their angel guardian, walks them through history, saying India has come a long way and will still go far, thumbing her nose at racist colonials along the way and inserting herself into grainy archival footage of Gandhi. "Now we will make everyone dance to our tunes," she chirps, kids in tow. It would sound ominous but for the Disney--fied setting.
In LA Geeta the angel switched the HOLLYWOOD sign to read BOLLYWOOD (anyone else see a pattern developing in this film?)
But for me the penultimate surprise comes at the end of the film when Geeta in her hiding place is virtually upstaged by the large BUCK FUSH scratched into the brick wall. Kyaa baat hai!! After the sweetness of the film, with its clean and bright Yash Raj stylee, that was like jumping into a cold pool- a shocking wakeup that got me thinking. We need more Hindi film exposure in the US to give more people a chance to see some of the perceptions of our country from other places, 'cause we Americans may not be all clued in. This kind of message in such a mainstream family film is something worth noticing. Oh, and how about more people who aren't put off by subtitles? That might help.
If you're really looking around, you can read my snarky comment on the film at the Guardian's blogsite.