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PRESS FREEDOM: Pakistani journalist Umar Cheema abducted, tortured

In an interview with SAJA in 2008, Pakistani journalist Umar Cheema said that it was only rural areas that are “volatile or hostile to journalists…not urban areas.” But what happened with Cheema on Sept. 4, 2010, tells a different story.

Cheema, a reporter with The News International in Islamabad and the 2008 Daniel Pearl Fellow at The New York Times was “tortured and humiliated during 6-hour captivity after abduction by unidentified men from Islamabad,” The News International reported.

According to the news portal, a group of men covered his face and took him to a building 45 to 50 minutes drive while he was returning home after meeting his friends.

“A few unknown men wearing uniforms of Elite Force came up to me, saying I crushed a man at Zero Point and drove off and then these men forcibly took me along with them,” Umar Cheema said. “I was held in illegal captivity for 6 hours during which I was continuously tortured and humiliated in nude. They stripped me out of my clothes, hanged me upside down and shaved off my head and moustaches,” the senior reporter of the country’s leading English daily recounted.

Café Pyala, a blog that follows the news from Pakistan and Pakistani media wrote that Cheema was “stripped naked, hung upside down and beaten severely before his head and moustache were shaved off.” According to the blog, Cheema, who is an investigative reporter for The News International, was “taken and dumped on the Islamabad Motorway with warnings not to make the incident public.” The captors had also warned Cheema to stop writing against the government.

NEPAL: Britain's new decision on Gurkhas causes controversy

Nepalese Gurkha soldiers' dealings with the British government have taken a new turn.

The British Home Office has said that it would allow 4,300 more Gurkha veterans, who served the British Army before 1997, to settle in the United Kingdom. But the Gurkha Justice Campaign says that the actual number would only be 100 who would meet the residency requirement criteria.

According to the Telegraph, the five requirements for the Gurkha veterans to settle in the U.K. are:

• Three years continuous residence in the UK during or after their service
• Close family in the UK
• A level 1-3 bravery award (including the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross)
• Service of 20 years or more in the Gurkha brigade
• A chronic or long-term medical condition caused by, or aggravated by, service in the brigade

In addition, Gurkhas will normally be allowed to settle in the U.K. if they meet two or more of the following criteria:

FILM: Nepal to debut at Cannes Film Festival

The Kathmandu-based Nepali film industry, also known as Kollywood, might be an unheard name in the international film fraternity.  But “Himalaya,” a Nepali movie in collaboration with France, brought Nepal’s movie industry into the limelight by entering the best foreign language film category at Academy Awards in 2000.

After almost a decade, Nepal is now making its debut at the Cannes International Film Festival starting May 13.  Two Nepali movies, “Chaukath (Threshold)” and “Awaken Eyes,” will give the international audience a taste of Nepali culture.

Both the movies will be screened in the non-competitive category in the short film section.

FILM: Satyajit Ray's films at Lincoln Center

Join SAJA for a webcast about the films of Satyajit Ray...

Discuss the work of Satyajit Ray, one of the most influential directors of all time, with Richard Pena, one of the leading film scholars of our time. From the legendary Apu trilogy — Ray’s groundbreaking debut saga that influences filmmakers to this day — he is widely considered India’s greatest filmmaker. Pena, who is the Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will talk about Ray and the program Pena has curated, April 15-30 at the Walter Reader Theater, "First Light: Satyajit Ray from the Apu Trilogy to the Calcutta Trilogy."
MODERATOR: Aseem Chhabra, SAJA board member and entertainment writer

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
11 am-noon ET (see local time around the world: http://bit.ly/2y4xfR)
Listen live or to a recording here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/saja/2009/04/14/Satyajit-Ray-films-with-Richard-Pena
or call into (347) 324-5991

Post your comments/questions below or send them to saja[at]columbia.edu

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For any art-film fanatic, Satyajit Ray's name represents an era of fine filmmaking and  successful storytelling.

The same era, via Ray's films will now be relived at the film series at the Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center, beginning April 15, 2009.

According to the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Web site, the film series is being presented by FSLC and Columbia University in collaboration with the Satyajit Ray Film and Study Center at the University of California-Santa Cruz and the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles.

The series will feature Ray’s cinema from the first half of his career, which started in 1955 with the movie “Pather Panchali.”

From his directorial debut in 1955 to 1966, Ray had written and directed 13 films including “Aparajito” and “Apur Sansar (The World of Apu),” which are a part of the "Apu Triology."

“First Light: Satyajit Ray From the Apu Trilogy to the Calcutta Trilogy” runs through April 30.

Here is the list of films and showtimes.

FILMS: Q&A with Mehul Shah, director of "Bollywood Beats"

Sitting at Starbucks, talking to his friends, Mehul Shah had his first idea to make a movie. And he didn’t let the idea go. 

In 2003, soon after he graduated from Southern Methodist University in filmmaking, Shah collaborated with one of his friends, Mansi Patel, and completed a short independent movie called "Diwali."

That was the beginning of a dream for the 27-year-old Dallas native. After five years, Shah is ready with his latest movie "Bollywood Beats." The movie premiered at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival this week.

A fun, comic movie that delves into various issues in the India-American community, "Bollywood Beats" raises questions on various levels. From homosexuality to extra-marital affairs and dreaming out-of-the-box, the movie talks about them but in a lighthearted way.

As Shah says, “It’s a dreamer’s story,” full of music and moves. Songs from different eras from Bollywood and lively music from the U.K.-based rapper Hard Kaur and Canadian artist Bilz liven up the ambiance.

Here are the excerpts from an interview with Shah outside The Magnolia theater hours before the screening of "Bollywood Beats."

How did your interest in film making start?

I’ve always been fond of films. Movies are always a great escape. Ever since I was a little kid, I was able to be watch Bollywood and Hollywood films. I got a good blend of both cinemas and that kind of affected my upbringing of wanting to bring those two together. I wanted to see what I could do with it. I just decided to major in it and study it more, go more in-depth about history of films.

What is "Bollywood Beats" all about?

TELEVISION: Anil Kapoor on board "24"

Anil Kapoor will join the cast of the FOX TV series "24" next season. Having starred in more than 100 Bollywood movies, the 49-year-old actor seems ready to get more international spotlight following "Slumdog Millionaire."

Kapoor played the game show host in "Slumdog," which won eight Academy Awards this year.

From People:

Slumdog Millionare's Anil Kapoor is adding another role to his impressive roster. The actor is joining the cast of 24 next season.

Kapoor, who starred as the game show host in the Oscar-winning Millionare, will play a Middle Eastern leader who comes to the U.S. on a peacemaking mission.

FOX's 24, which stars Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer, is currently in its seventh season.

According to the AFP, the next season is due to be seen at the end of the year in North America.

Kapoor also made a television cameo on E!'s show, The Soup, with Joel McHale:

Post your comments below.

FILM: Indian themes at AFI Dallas Film Festival

After the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Dallas is the next Texas city to get attention in the arts world, thanks to the AFI Dallas International Film Festival.

The festival, which began March 26,  will give the audience a share of Indian culture through two movies, “Bollywood Beats” and “Heaven on Earth.”

“Heaven on Earth” also known as “Videsh” is Deepa Mehta’s latest movie, starring Preity Zinta. The movie revolves around a Punjabi woman, played by Zinta, who gets forced into an arranged marriage and lands in Canada with an abusive husband.

“Bollywood Beats,” directed by Mehul Shah stars Lilette Dubey (who was in Mira Nair's "Monsoon Wedding"), among others. The movie is about a down-on-his-luck dancer, Raj, who is fighting to hold his life together. After a suggestion from an older woman, Raj starts a dance class for Indian women. While Raj gives continuity to his dance class, he gets an offer to choreograph a music video. Now he must decide.

TRAVEL: Nepal, India on Nat'l Geographic Adventure's "Best New Trips"

Nepal and India have made to the list of the National Geographic Adventure magazine's "Best New Trips '09."

“Nepal: Everest for Everyone” and “India: The Amazing Megafauna Race” boast the first and second best adventure spots in the magazine’s Asia list.

From National Geographic Adventure's Claire Martin:

BIZ: Dow Jones Indexes launches a new index for South Asia

The Dow Jones Indexes and the South Asian Federation of Exchanges have launched the Dow Jones SAFE 100 Index. According to the press release from Dow Jones Indexes, this is the first time indexes are created to measure the performance of blue-chip companies in five of the eight member states of SAFE: India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Countries not on the list are Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives.

From Michael A. Petronella, president, Dow Jones Indexes:

“South Asia is home to some of the most rapidly evolving financial markets worldwide. By further developing securities markets and aiming at their regional and international integration the South Asian Federation of Exchanges has been contributing significantly to these developments. The Dow Jones SAFE Indexes now provide market participants with accurate, transparent and reliable performance measures of leading companies in this region. These indexes are yet another example of Dow Jones Indexes' commitment to index excellence, particularly in so-called frontier markets.”

The Dow Jones SAFE 100 Index measures the performance of the 50 largest Indian stocks and the 50 largest stocks trading in Bangladesh, Mauritius, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

According to Lanka Business Online, Sri Lanka is the smallest country weighing in the new index at 2.57 percent, with India having the heaviest allocation at 53.48 percent, followed by Pakistan with 32.36 percent, Mauritius with 8.39 percent and Bangladesh with 3.20 percent.

The Dow Jones SAFE 100 Index is calculated in US dollars, and the index is weighted by float-adjusted market capitalization.

Read the entire press release from Dow Jones Indexes.

DESI SPOTTING: Indian band to perform at SxSW festival

Austin's annual South by Southwest festival will showcase 108 movies and music artists from around the globe, and representing India is Ashu, a rock band from Mumbai.

The six-member band, with Ashu Pathak as the lead singer, is set to perform Wednesday, March 18, at Copa Bar and Grill.

About Ashu’s music from the band’s MySpace profile:

Ashu represents a new wave of expression in India. Philosophically Indian but musically global. A singer-songwriter who weaves stories of love and loss, hope and fear, that are at once intensely personal and invitingly universal. The music is ambient psychedelic rock with an acoustic as well as an electronic vibe.

Ashu’s debut album “Sigh of an Angel” was released on October.

“SXSW is a huge platform for any musician since promoters, producers and talent buyers looking for new music and talent visit the place, you get exposed to the right people from the industry,” Pathak told radioandmusic.com.

"The organizers happened to check out our music on our MySpace page and they liked it - we were quite lucky," Pathak added.

To listen to Ashu's music, you can visit:

http://www.myspace.com/ashulive

http://www.ashulive.com/