SAJAforum

YOUTUBE: The Benny Lava phenomenon

It started as a joke. A bad joke. The kind you make when you’re an Indian American kid and you hear the Hindi word mehboob and giggle.

I wasn’t even sure how to explain the Westernization of a Tamil song until I came across this word: mondegreen – the misinterpretation of a line or lyric due to homophony (like-sounding words).

A modern mondegreen – Benny Lava is what happens when a bored teenager comes across Kollywood stars Prabhu Deva (Sundaram) and Jaya Sheel dancing on a hill, and then decides to interpret the scene. The result oscillates somewhere between Switzerland and Chennai.

“This is not a translation,” warns You Tube user Buffalax in the video. “This is what I believe the song sounds like in English.”

Caution: The video is not politically correct, it isn’t PG rated, and it absolutely makes fun of Indian song and dance. But it is hilarious.

Watch.

More than 10,612,623 views later--more than twice as many as Obama's race speech, and about the same number as Lil Wayne's Lollipop--the Benny Lava You Tube video is a pop-culture reference, a Facebook phenomenon, a household stay-in-your-head-all-day tune. It's quite possibly one of the most popular bits of "Indian" film culture to have crossed over into the West.

HONORS: Ben Kingsley to receive star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Sir Ben Kingsley is soon to be enshrined on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Gujarati-English actor (who was born Krishna Bhanji) is one of 25 artists that will receive a star on the legendary sidewalk next year.  Others on the list include Robert Downey, Jr., Tim Burton, Cameron Diaz, and Felicity Huffman.

Kingsley has been all over the silver screen of late, with roles in War, Inc, The Love Guru, and the soon-to-be-released The Wackness.  Fans will be able to see him again a fourth time this summer with the release of Elegy in August.

He's best known, of course, for playing the title role in the 1982 film Gandhi.  He discussed playing the Mahatma at length when he visited the Late Show with David Letterman earlier this month. You can also watch him giving a quick Namaste to Letterman as he makes his entrance, then imitates a Delhi taxi driver later on.

Part 1:

BUSINESS: Everest Heights, the nation's first South Asian mall

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram took a major look at the desi community of north Texas. Reporter Cary Darling wrote about Radio Salaam Namaste, described as "the nation’s first 24/7 commercial FM outlet aimed at the South Asian community." (is that true?) But what I found particularly interesting were plans for Everest Heights, a 200,000 square foot mall catering to South Asians that's set to break ground this month. The man behind the project and the radio station is  Jaipal Reddy. From the article:

Radio Salaam Namaste, the nation’s first 24-hour, multilingual, commercial FM station aimed at the South Asian community, hit the airwaves two years ago as a way to promote a plan Jaipal Reddy had been dreaming about since moving from India to New York in the early ’90s to get a master’s degree in computer science.

"That was when I saw an American mall the first time in life," he remembers. "When I saw that mall, I said to myself, 'this is the kind of mall a South Asian community should have.’ "

After moving to Texas for its cheaper cost of living and better weather (he finished his degree at the University of Texas at Tyler), he got a job at Nortel in Dallas. During his free time, he liked to see Bollywood movies but didn’t care for the venues that showed them. So he began organizing screenings at a Dallas General Cinema, then used a shuttered dollar theater in south Irving.

Ultimately, he and business partner Mohammad Abbas and their company, Everest Heights, began to plan their $35 million Everest Heights mall near Interstate 635 and the George Bush Tollway. Due to open in late 2009, it will include a six-screen theater and, according to Reddy, will be the first major South Asian-themed mall in the U.S. and will serve as the prototype for similar developments in Houston and Atlanta.

Currently, Everest is showing movies at Irving’s Hollywood Theater, as well as at an AMC in Houston and a Cinemark in Austin. In the meantime, the company launched an AM radio station four years ago and then moved to FM with Radio Salaam Namaste (KZMP/104.9), named for the words for "hello" in Arabic (salaam) and Hindi (namaste).

"The radio station was always a phase to advertise the mall," he says. "We needed a very good marketing tool, and in the ’70s and ’80s in India, radio was a big thing. Basically, people who come to the U.S. who are settled here, we always miss [things from] back home — radio, movies, food and all that. We’re trying to bring that here to the U.S., and radio is part of that."

The station runs a predictable amount of Bollywood music, but has programming in 9 languages and includes advice shows and club music. The article notes that the station's ratings are really low but it's hard to say whether that pits it against heavyweight mainstream stations or comparable broadcast outlets. One thing I can say - I'm from Texas myself, and there's a much richer tradition of desi radio there than up here in New York. In Houston you can hear a variety of programming, from standard Bollywood playlists to discussions on community issues to Carnatic and Hindustani music. My father, who's an allergist, has frequently appeared on radio shows to talk about health issues and take questions from listeners. I find this a major hole in the desi cultural scene of New York.

You can see renderings of the Everest Heights mall here. According to the Everest Heights website the mall will contain a 6-screen mall, performance hall, fine dining as well as a food court, community center, financial services, clothing stores, grocery stores, a meat market and beauty salon. And much, much more.

CONV: Tabla student plans documentary on Indian classical music

She is an outsider to the Indian culture and language, but there is something that connects Sandi Higgins to it — music.

Higgins, who studied film production at the New York University, is an avid admirer of Indian classical music, and currently is producing a documentary on the reception of classical Indian music in the West, especially New York.

“It’s not a music system, it’s a philosophy of life,” Higgins said.

 

CONV: "Brick Lane" brings Bangladeshi slice of life to the scree

Tannishtha Chatterjee and Sarah Gavron are interviewed by SAJA's Aseem Chhabra after the screening.

Monica Ali's novel, "Brick Lane," the story of a Bangladeshi family in London's East End, has been made into a movie and it exposes audiences to an immigrant community rarely seen on screen.

The new experience isn't limited to the audience, though - neither director Sarah Gavron or lead actress Tannishtha Chatterjee are Bangladeshi. So it was a learning curve for them, too, they told the audience at a screening for the South Asian Journalists Association convention.

The screening on Thursday night at Columbia University marked the beginning of the 2008 SAJA Convention. The screening, courtesy of Sony Picture Classics, played to a nearly full house, and featured a special Q&A session hosted by Aseem Chhabra with Gavron and Chatterjee.

The movie is adapted from a book of the same name by Monica Ali. It weaves through the life of Nazneen, as she grows up, marries at 17, moves to London and raises a family.

 
This is British director Gavron’s first feature-length film, and she said she picked Brick Lane because of its wide appeal across cultures.

“At its heart, it’s a human story,” Gavron said.

CONV: Snippet from "Brick Lane" Q&A

At the 2008 SAJA Convention, Tannishtha Chatterjee, talks about how she was cast in "Brick Lane" (the Sony Pictures Classics film of the Monica Ali novel) She and Sarah Gavron, the director, were interviewed by SAJA's Aseem Chhabra. Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 8:48 p.m. The movie opens Friday, June 20, in the U.S.

See a detailed report on the screening and Q&A.

MOVIES: Hindus petition to boycott "Love Guru"

Seems like the Hollywood-Hindu Censor Board meeting didn't go that well.

The BBC reports that about 5,000 Hindus have signed an online petition against Paramount Pictures' Love Guru (see our earlier post) starring Mike Myers which is to be released this Friday.

These activists, led by Rajan Zed, a Nevada-based, media-savvy Hindu priest, have also appealed to the rating body to change the classification for the film to make it impossible for anyone under 17 to see it. Currently, it is rated PG-13.

Their argument is that the movie will hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindus worldwide.

They say that in the West so little is known about Hinduism that even a parody like Love Guru could be misinterpreted by teenagers and give them a skewed view of the religion.

"They should draw a line when it comes to people's faith," says Bhavna Shinde of the Sanatan Society in the US.

She is upset that the main character wears sacred Hindu saffron robes and carries holy prayer beads.

Paramount Pictures has said that the film does not make reference to any particular religion and depicts a "purely fictional faith."

What would have made these Hindu activists happy? They said if there was a disclaimer in the movie explaining that it is not a proper representation of Hinduism.

Listen to the SAMMA/SAJA webcast with Manu Narayan, one of the actors in the movie and get his take on the controversy.

What do you think? Please post your comments below.

BUSINESS: Spielberg's DreamWorks to start a new venture with Reliance

[See SAJAForum's coverage of business news]

Anil Ambani, fueding brother of Mukesh Ambani, subject of a 4,000-plus-word profile in Sunday's NYT, is making waves after the Wall Street Journal announced that Reliance ADA Group would provide Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks SKG, the Hollywood film studio, with between $500 million and $600 million in equity, in order to form a new movie venture.

The principals of DreamWorks SKG are close to a deal with one of India's biggest entertainment conglomerates to form a new movie venture, according to people familiar with the situation, a move that would give director Steven Spielberg the cash to finance his DreamWorks team's departure from Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures later this year.

The Drudge Report picked up the story (that's the picture on the right). However, the deal has not been confirmed yet.

A recent Marketwatch report says that last month Reliance Big Entertainment, owned by the Reliance ADA Group, announced several financing deals with Hollywood's biggest names, including Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jim Carrey and Brad Pitt.

More from WSJ.com:

Reliance's plunge into Hollywood is part of a broader push among India's corporate titans to take their place on the global corporate stage. The country has now produced global players in software, steel, autos and is building a growing powerhouse in telecommunications. <snip>
In recent years, the country's Mumbai-based film industry, known as Bollywood, has found a growing global appeal for its products. As it has expanded, it has drawn investment from Hollywood as well. For example, Walt Disney Co. has a large stake in UTV Software Communications, one of India's leading production houses. Other large American media firms have also invested in the Indian market.

Earlier this week, WSJ had a report from Cannes, "Hollywood Meets Bollywood":

One of the striking business trends this year is an increased relationship between Hollywood and Bollywood, India's massive film industry.

FILMS: Listen to webcast with Manu Narayan of "The Love Guru"

On Tuesday, June 17, SAJA and SAMMA (South Asians in Media and Marketing) hosted an hour-long live webcast with Manu Narayan, who's starring in "The Love Guru" with Mike Myers. He answered questions from  SAJA and SAMMA members and the general public about the movie and life as an actor/musician in film and theater. [That's Narayan on the right, with Myers as Guru Pitka and Jessica Alba as hockey team owner Jane Bullard; the movie also stars Ben Kingsley as another guru and Deepak Chopra as himself.]

You can listen to a recording of the chat here and post your comments below.

Earlier on SAJAforum: Paramount to meet with Hindu leaders (March 2008)
Listen to SAJA webcast about South Asians in Hollywood (Feb. 2008)

ENTERTAINMENT: Indian firms face manpower shortage

Lisa Tsering of India West covered a California discussion that addressed a manpower shortage in India's entertainment industry. From her report:

The changes in the Indian entertainment industry have been “magnificent and staggering,” in the words of one of its top executives — but some real challenges remain if the country hopes to keep speeding along on its current upward trajectory.

Signs of success are everywhere — in TV, sports, animation and film — but the media industry there is facing inadequate infrastructure, legal challenges and a shortage of skilled media professionals.

The industry simply can’t find or keep enough good people, said Andrew Kaplan, president of international networks for Sony Pictures Entertainment, during a panel discussion presented by the entertainment wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Pacific Council on International Policy.

“For such a relatively young industry, the available pool of trained and experienced talent is limited. The current supply-demand equation makes attracting and retaining talent among our biggest challenges,” Kaplan said. Added Dr. Amit Mitra, FICCI’s secretary general, “We are getting good at technology, but our creative skills are lacking.”
<snip>
Kaplan and Mitra were joined on the morning entertainment panel by Sonia Nikore, former vice president for casting in NBC’s entertainment division; and Udaya Kumar, Adlabs’ business head for North America. Richard Celeste, former U.S. ambassador to India and the co-chair of this year’s conference, moderated the panel.

An influential report issued by Ernst & Young in April explains that television is the largest segment in the Indian entertainment market, earning $5.7 billion in revenues in 2007. There is increasing confluence between American and Indian TV companies: UTV has teamed with Disney; NBC Universal has picked up a 26 percent stake in NDTV, and Warner has tied up with Miditech to launch entertainment channels in India.

See  the rest of the piece, which includes some suggestions on how to address the problems. Post your comments below.

FILMS: M. Night Shyalamalan's latest movie, "The Happening"

These are photos from the W. 103rd Street subway station in Manhattan, one of several spots with billboards for a movie opening soon across the country: M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening," an R-rated scary film opening, appropriately, on Friday, June 13 (see the first trailer). Below is a collection of some of the pre-opening press.

Today's business section of the New York Times has a front-page story about Shyamalan and his recent adventures. From "A Hollywood horror story, with a twist," by Allison Hope Weiner, who interviewed him from (that's the word used in the piece, so I presume it was by phone) his office outside Philadelphia:

...movie audiences still know Mr. Shyamalan as the guy who makes scary movies with a twist.

He also has not been able to undo his reputation in Hollywood as a talented filmmaker who will not play by studio rules. After the success of “The Sixth Sense,” he criticized Disney executives, dared to compare his talent to Steven Spielberg’s and Alfred Hitchcock’s and has steadfastly asserted his reputation as an outsider by refusing to move from Philadelphia to Hollywood.

His outsider persona continued to work for him, so long as the films “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs” continued to make money. But when his films started to falter at the box office — his last movie, “Lady in the Water,” was drubbed by critics and ignored by moviegoers — the Hollywood establishment’s support began to wane.

That failure has put considerable pressure on his new film, “The Happening,” an R-rated horror movie for Fox that opens on June 13. Another failure would harm the Shyamalan name and make it difficult for him to keep full control over his films.

Among other things, the piece talks about his next project.

Mr. Shyamalan is also directing “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” a big tent-pole movie based on a Nickelodeon cartoon, scheduled to be released in 2010 for Paramount.

“I obviously did my homework and checked him out before deciding to make the movie. It’s a very important movie for us,” said John Lesher, president of the Paramount Film Group. “He’s collaborative, open to suggestions and wants to make a hit movie. He’s open in the right way. You want a filmmaker who has passion and want him to defend why he believes something is correct.”

SCARY: Indian couple with vampire teeth, shiny eyes

You may already know about the high incidence of diabetes among Asian Indians. What is less understood is a condition characterized by hyper-calcification of the canine teeth and photo-excitation of the Indian cornea. Check it out...

Unsettling, no? Credit to remains of the desi for uncovering this horror gem. Even on YouTube, where it's posted, no one seems to know the source of the video. Any ideas, anyone? I'm not well-versed in their oeuvre but could it be the Ramsay Brothers?

More on them at Cinema Strikes Back:

OBIT: Sydney Pollack, movie director

Here at SAJAforum, we are always looking out for South Asian connections to mainstream stories. Sometimes, we find them even in the most unlikely stories. As you can see, we are managing to write about the passing of Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood director who made no movies with an obvious desi connection.

Photojournalist Jay Mandal, sent us this alert a few hours after the news of Pollack's passing:

A few years ago, I had an opportunity to meet up with Mr. Sydney Pollack on two different occasions (both happened at the UN Secretariet Bldg)  in NY, when he was attending a press conference that was conducted by the then Under Secretary General Shashi Tharoor.

 

It was when Pollak was granted a permission to shoot his film, "The Interpreter".

His photos with Tharoor are below. So we turned to Tharoor to see if he had any comments. He did:

Sydney was a wonderful man, a creative genius at the top of his craft, and a delight to work with. He was also so fit, disciplined and youthful for his age that I am in shock to learn that he's gone.

Post your comments below.

FILMS: "Vanaja" released on DVD in the U.S.

One of the best movies of 2007 - South Asian or otherwise - is now on DVD. From the press release below:

    "Vanaja," a critical and film festival hit of 2007, will become available on DVD from Emerging Pictures Home Entertainment on May 20th.

            Given a "Four Stars" rating by syndicated Chicago Sun-Times
    critic Roger Ebert, "Vanaja" was, said Ebert, "One of the five best
    foreign language films of 2007."  He went on to praise the film as
    "beautiful, extraordinary and heart-touching."  The New York Times
    called it an "absolutely timeless tale."

            The film opened in nearly 100 screens in major cities across the
    country and went on to win the 2007 Berlin Film Festival's illustrious
    Jury Prize for Best First Feature; "Vanaja" became an Official Selection
    at 104 international film festivals in 49 countries (including the
    United States) and the recipient of more than twenty-four international
    film awards, including nominations for two of this year's Independent
    Spirit Awards:  Best First Film and Best Cinematography.

See publicist info below (journalists - tell him SAJA sent you). Post your comments below. Here's a trailer:

FILMS: Tarsem Singh's "The Fall"

Back in 2000, a movie called "The Cell" made a splash among horror fans. I knew nothing about it, except that the director was named Tarsem Singh (sometimes credited as just Tarsem). Turned out he was a well-known music video director (he made the 1991 MTV Video of the Year, "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.").

He's back, with a major movie coming out this Friday. After seeing a trailer for "The Fall" on one of the networks last night, I asked SAJA Board member and movie writer Aseem Chhabra to write up a few words about it, confident that he'd know a lot about it. Chhabra didn't disappoint. Here's his take:

I saw Tarsem (Singh)'s The Fall today at a press screening.  And I found the film stunning.  It is such a sumptuous, visual spectacle -- bright vibrant colors, vast epic like settings -- nature has never looked so
beautiful.  The film is shot in 20 countries -- covering practically every continent.  But Tarsem leaves his best camera work to capture Northern India -- the Taj Mahal, Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, and several sweeping shots of Jodhpur (the blue city).  The film is essentially a fantasy --a story narrated by a handsome injured stuntman (Lee Pace) to a very cute young girl (a heartwarming Catinca Untaru), with a broken arm.  Both are in a hospital in LA. 

At times the story appears to falter -- but that also has to do with the hallucinatory state the stuntman is in.   But overall this film is a visual delight.  Roger Ebert called the film "magnificent!"

Time Out New York gave "The Fall" a 5-star rating on a scale of 6 -- that is tremendous.

In 2007, Patrick Goldstein of the LA Times profiled Singh, writing in part:

Tarsem Singh has made a lucrative living for 17 years as a sought-after director of commercials, videos and the creepy 2000 horror hit, "The Cell." As he told me, more in awe than in boast, he once made more money in one day shooting a commercial than his father did in 30 years as an aircraft engineer in India. And what did Tarsem do with most of that dough? Breaking the cardinal mantra of Hollywood, he spent it making a movie called "The Fall."

UPDATE: Chhabra's May 2008 interview with Tarsem: "Hindi movies often don't capture the beauty of India."

What do YOU think? Post your comments below, please. Here's one of the trailers:

FILM: "Brick Lane" trailer

"Brick Lane," the widely-acclaimed book by Monica Ali about life about Bangladeshi immigrants in London, is coming to U.S. theaters as a movie on June 20. On Thursday, June 19, the SAJA Convention & Job Fair is hosting a screening and discussion with Ali, director Sarah Gavron and some of the cast members. Watch for more information at SAJAconvention.org. Here's the trailer - can't wait to see the film [earlier SAJAforum coverage here]. Post your comments below.

Thanks to sponsor Sony Pictures Classic!

FILMS: Hanson Hosein's follow up to "Independent America"

Former NBCer, Hanson Hosein, who runs the new media program at the University of Washington in Seattle, is working on a follow-up documentary to his successful first film, "Independent America: The Two-lane Search for Mom and Pop". That film, made with his wife, Heather Hughes, chronicled their 13,000-mile journey across the U.S. in which they drove on no highways and only shopped and stayed at independent businesses. From the press release below about the new documentary:

“IN NEW ORLEANS, MOM AND POP BUSINESS LEAD THE WAY TO RECOVERY, WHILE BIG BOXES LAG BEHIND”

Independent America filmmaker takes to the road again in search for the story behind the recovery of New Orleans in “Independent America: Rising From Ruins”

Independent film director and Emmy Award-winning journalist, Hanson Hosein, leaves behind his pregnant wife and travel partner in Seattle as he takes to the regional roads for a 3,000 mile journey to investigate how Mom and Pop businesses are doing in post-Katrina New Orleans.

When doing his first full-length documentary “Independent America: The Two Lane Search for Mom & Pop” (2006) Hosein and his wife, Heather Hughes, decided to bypass New Orleans, in favor of a crucial Wal-Mart interview in Arkansas.

“It’s a detour we would come to regret when Hurricane Katrina hit six weeks later,” Hosein says.  “Now we get to make up for it with this poignant sequel.”

After two years of continued success with his first film, Hosein has the opportunity to go back on the road, thanks to funding from Canada’s Superchannel – which is currently broadcasting the original film.  The University of Washington’s Department of Communication is also supporting this new documentary.

I spent some time with Hosein in New Orleans last week, as he took a short break from his almost-nonstop filming. It was great to see him being able to pursue such an important story. His passion and excitement for the doc is contagious.

Read more about the project below and more about Hosein at HRHmedia.com. Post your comments below.

ANIMATION: Nina Paley's "Sita Sings the Blues"

Several years ago, when I was covering ArtWallah - the desi arts festival in L.A. - I chanced upon a quite extraordinary bit of animation. It was by a woman named Nina Paley, a Brooklyn animator who had, once upon a time, followed her then-husband to India. That relationship ended in heartbreak, but Nina turned to the Ramayana and began work on a Sita-centric re-telling of the story.

Those initial 15 or 20 minutes - a section called the "Dandaka Dharma" - have since evolved into the much more ambitious, feature-length "Sita Sings the Blues," which was recently screened at the Berlin Film Festival, where it picked up a special jury mention. Now it's coming to New York, where it will be screened several times during the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival. Here's the trailer (or click here) for the 82-minute movie, aka "The Greatest Break-up Story Ever Told":

OBIT: Arthur C. Clarke dies at age 90 in Sri Lanka

I remember, quite clearly, watching Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time. I was at school in Madras (Chennai) and about 11 years old. We sat on the floor of a large room and took in the images, from its prehistoric simian prelude through Also Spoke Zarathustra and finally, David Bowman's hyperspace journey to the beyond. It was one of those formative cultural moments - perhaps my first recollection of really participating in something so "arthouse" as that, at once entrancing and eerie. And at the end, the boys in the class--none of the girls, to my recollection--heatedly discussed the movie and what it meant. And then, we went to the source: the works of Arthur C. Clarke. To the extent that a floating cosmic obelisk was Bowman's portal, the movie and book were ours.

Clarke died today, at a hospital in Columbo, at the age of 90. From the LA Times, "The passing of a legend: Arthur C. Clarke":

An aide told the Associated Press that Clarke had been suffering from breathing problems and had been in and out of the hospital.

It didn't seem possible that we would ever hear such news: Didn't Clarke seem timeless? As unchanged as the monolith discovered on the moon in the story "The Sentinel"? That story was later expanded into the novel "2001: A Space Odyssey." He was as prolific (the A.P. estimates that he authored more than 100 books) as he was optimistic about science and technology. His name is everywhere.

More from CNN:

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote the epic film "2001: A Space Odyssey" and raised the idea of communications satellites in the 1940s, has died at age 90, an associate said.

Clarke had been wheelchair-bound for several years with complications stemming from a youthful bout with polio and had suffered from back trouble recently, said Scott Chase, the secretary of the nonprofit Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.

He died early Wednesday at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since the 1950s, Chase said.

"He had been taken to hospital in what we had hoped was one of the slings and arrows of being 90, but in this case it was his final visit," he said.

Clarke served in the Royal Air Force during World War II and was involved with the early development of radar. As the excerpt above states, he is also credited with the concept of communications satellites, without patenting the idea, and wrote an essay in 1965 subtitled "How I Lost a Billion Dollars in my Spare Time." He was knighted in 1998.

EVENTS: Mira Nair and others address South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum

[That's filmmaker Mira Nair with SAWLF founder Simi Ahuja at the March 15 Congress 2008. PHOTO: Seshu Photography. Click to magnify.]

Filmmaker Mira Nair gave the keynote address at the South Asian Women's Leadership Forum's Congress 2008 on March 15. In a discussion covering a wide variety of topics, Nair talked about the inspiration for "The Namesake" and "Mississippi Masala," her life in Uganda, and how she kept her creative vision in Hollywood today.

Asked by an aspiring filmmaker about how she stayed true to herself throughout her career, Nair said “The key for me is to never let anyone own my idea until it's fully fledged.”

She continued, “That is not an easy thing in the film business because when people give you millions they expect to own it.”

“My big joke in the community is that I am very open and collaborative as long as I have the last word.”

Nair was drawn to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel "The Namesake" after her mother-in-law died unexpectedly, due to medical malpractice.

MOVIES: Paramount to clear "Love Guru" with Hindu leaders

Hollywood, meet the Hindu Censor Board. That's essentially what the press release below proclaims. Here you have a big-budget movie, "The Love Guru," (see our brief post earlier) starring Mike Myers as the titular guru, and the studio, Paramount, has decided it would rather screen the movie for some Hindus prior to its release than risk bad publicity from those same (presumably well-funded) Hindus on opening day. Shameless pandering or sensible multiculti outreach? Let the people decide.

The release is from Rajan Zed, whom Sree earlier dubbed "America's most media-savvy Hindu priest." My favorite part of the release would be where the Paramount exec, Jessica Rovins notes, tactically, that actor Manu Narayan "comes from a Hindu background." The release follows, and if you haven't already done so, be sure to watch the trailer for "The Love Guru": Hindu jokes, midget gags and much more.

------------------------------------------------

Paramount to screen “The Love Guru” for Zed and other Hindu leaders

Paramount Pictures has agreed to screen upcoming Hollywood movie “The Love Guru” for Hindu leaders.

In a communiqué today to prominent Indo-American leader Rajan Zed who is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism (USH); Jessica Rovins, Senior Vice President National Publicity of Paramount Pictures, wrote: "The Love Guru - which is still in post-production - is a satire created in the same spirit as Austin Powers. Along with Mike Myers, the film stars Jessica Alba, Verne Troyer, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Deepak Chopra and Manu Narayan (who comes from a Hindu background).  It is our full intention to screen the film for Rajan Zed and other Hindu leaders in the U.S. once we have a finished print." Rovins is publicist on this film.

Meanwhile, pre-release clearance of “The Love Guru” by Hindu representatives has been gaining ground. Lila D. Sharma, President of India Heritage Panel, in a statement issued at Chandigarh (India), asked its makers to “secure clean chit from Hindu leaders before its June release”. “Hollywood is trying to make money by laughing at our holy men and in the process creating a stereotype,” Sharma added.

FILM: "Shot in Bombay" by Liz Mermin

Filmmaker Pia Sawhney sent us an alert about a film by Liz Mermin:

London-based documentarian Liz Mermin (THE BEAUTY ACADEMY OF KABUL, OFFICE TIGER) just sent word about her new film, SHOT IN BOMBAY, which premiered at the South-by-Southwest film festival last week.

Liz is happy to speak to folks who follow either Bollywood or the film biz, so I've pasted the flyer she emailed in case SAJA folks have an interest in covering it. Liz can also be reached directly at liz[at]merminfilm.com

Best regards,
Pia Sawhney, director/producer
www.outofstatus.com

SHOT IN BOMBAY -- a "sensationally entertaining," "often surreal" documentary exploring the thin lines that separate crime from punishment and fiction from reality in and around the Bombay film industry -- will have it's North American premiere at SXSW 2008, off its theatrical run at London's ICA.  Featuring Bollywood super-stars Sanjay Dutt and Vivek Oberoi, confronting one another in a gritty gangster flick; super-cop A. A. Khan, aka "Bombay's Dirty Harry", philosophizing about justice; and the unproven young director Apoorva Lakhia, struggling to finish his first hit against ridiculous odds.

• Time Out London: "Absolutely fascinating."
• The Telegraph: "A superior, very entertaining documentary."
  
• Total Film: "Mindblowing"

India 2007, 99mins
More on the film at  MerminFilm.com

Post your comments below.

FILM: "Miss Pettigrew" - directed by Bharat Nalluri

On Tuesday, I received an alert from SAJAer Vikas Mathur:

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day" was directed by an Indian who grew up in the UK. There's more info on him in Wikipedia and IMDB, it seems he also directed the HBO mini-series on the tsunami ("Tsunami: The Aftermath"). Just thought SAJA might be interested, hadn't seen it mentioned in any of the posts.

At that point, I have to confess, I had no idea what he was talking about. [As parents of 4-year-old twins, my wife and I can tell you all about the forthcoming "Horton Hears a Who!," but don't ask us about non-kid films.]

But over the last couple of days, I have been hearing a lot about this film and its director, 43-year-old Bharat Nalluri. He was born in Andra Pradesh, India, and raised in Newcastle Upon Tyne (more on him in his Wikipedia entry, his IMDB profile and in this HBO interview). It opens today in limited release in the U.S.

• A front-page pointer to a review in today's USA Today says: "'Miss Pettigrew' is delightful."
  From Claudia Puig's review:   
  

  A good farce is hard to find. Particularly one that holds up for the entirety of the story and keeps us engrossed, while smiling. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a particularly effective and cheeky example.
  <snip>
  Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson, Miss Pettigrew is a veritable treat. Wisely cast, this handsome production is a delightful farcical fairy tale, bolstered by moments of depth and emotion.

• In the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Colin Covert wrote:
  

  They say comedy is all about timing. High praise goes to director Bharat Nalluri, who must have clocked the action with a split-second stopwatch. The boudoir doors slam precisely, and when the time comes for an interlude by Cole Porter or Johnny Mercer, he gracefully allows the rat-a-tat pace to relax. His stars complement one another nicely, with McDormand keeping the farce grounded in poignant emotion while Adams makes a feast of her ditzy role.

• Writing in the New York Times, Stephen Holden calls it a "screwball fable":

FILM: "Brick Lane" and "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"

A note from SAJAer and entertainment writer Aseem Chhabra.

Sree:

There are two films with desi themes opening on June 20. You have already written about "The Love Guru."  On the same day Sony Pictures Classic is releasing director Sarah Gavron's "Brick Lane," based on Monica Ali's book.  I saw the film at the Telluride Film Festival and I loved the film.

Here is a link to film's preview on YouTube:

The film has been wrapped in controversy -- first protests from a small segment of Bangladeshis in London and then last fall when Prince Charles and Camilla skipped the London premiere of the film. The premiere was eventually canceled.

FILM: "The Love Guru" - the new Mike Myers comedy

I had heard that Mike Myers was doing a movie about an Indian guru, but didn't know much more until a couple of weeks ago. During the SAJA Briefing webcast about Hollywood, Manu Narayan of "Bombay Dreams" fame told us about his role in the upcoming Meyers movie. "The Love Guru" opens June 20. See the first trailer below - appearances by Narayan, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake and others (Ben Kingsley is also in the movie, though not in this trailer). More about the movie here. Listen to the South Asians and Hollywood webcast here. Post your comments below.

FILM: Gurinder Chadha on directing sex scenes

A note from Aseem Chhabra, entertainment writer...

Here's what Gurinder Chadha ("Bend It Like Beckham") told the Guardian in an article called "50 arts secrets revealed":

Q: Are sex scenes as uncomfortable for directors as for actors?
GC: Yes. I'm a good Indian girl, I still don't do sex scenes in my movies
because my mum would kill me!

Post your comments below.

HOLLYWOOD: Notes - and audio - from SAJA/SAMMA panel on South Asians and Hollywood

As part of pre-Oscar festivities, SAJA and SAMMA - South Asians in Media and Marketing - hosted a chat on South Asians in Hollywood on Friday, Feb. 22. Actors Kavi Ladnier, Aasif Mandvi and Manu Narayan and SAJA Board member and entertainment writer Aseem Chhabra touched on a wide range of themes ranging from the mindset of casting directors to the number of South Asians in television and film today.  You can listen to the archived webcast at this link or using this player:

Discussing the 2007 Oscar nominations, Aseem Chhabra expressed disappointment that Tabu and Ifran Khan of "The Namesake" were not nominated. “The Academy tends to forget Indian actors when it comes to these types of awards,” said Chhabra. He also noted that Fox Searchlight concentrated its marketing efforts on promoting "Juno," which garnered four nominations. He also said that "The Namesake" opened so early in the year (March of 2007), that it was easy to forget about it by the time nominations were being done at the end of the year.

Both Manu Narayan and Kavi Ladnier marveled at how far attitudes towards casting have come in the last few years.  “I think they are getting more and more open and welcoming actually,” said Narayan of casting departments. “Because as they see more and more South Asians who want to see themselves reflected in the entertainment of this country [they will] at least consider casting people who are not white or black Americans.”