Three Hilarious Comics At Intense, New York

(L-R) Nishi Nagpal (organizer), performers Jim Dailakis, Larry Thompson, Sugar Sammy
and Ravi Siddharth, an up-and-coming comic who emceed the event and Aash Shravah, CEO, Intense

Entertainment

Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK: Whether you are plain bored or slightly under the weather or just need a pick-me-up made famous by Wodehouse character Jeeves, to revive your spirits, a stand-up comic’s creative outpourings could help. For several decades, the art of the stand-up has been berated or celebrated, depending on who’s talking. Hollywood and Broadway have always provided juicy fodder for the likes of Jack Benny and Jackie Mason to Johnny Carson and Jay Leno who have provided comedy routines as staple entertainment.

A recent event hosted by Aash Shravah, CEO of Intense Comedy in Manhattan, New York featured three comics – Sugar Sammy, Canadian of Indian origin, Larry Thomson, African-American and Jim Dailakis, an Australian of Greek origin. Older men, the Brits, the Sikhs, teenagers, and other stereotypes were targets.

Today, the younger generation of Indian-Americans and other ethnic groups are exposed to localized ethnic and stereotyped humour that is capable of laughing at themselves without feeling offended – something the 50-pluses could never do. Names such as Russell Peters, an Indian based in Canada, Vijai, a lady comic whose parents are originally from South India and Daniel Nainan whose is half-Malayalee and half- Japanese, have been performing to standing-room-only audiences.

Sammy rocked the 200-odd crowd with his provocative wit and cultural comebacks. Larry had his audience in stitches when he spoke of black women from South America and Jim carried the day with his imitation of a kangaroo hop. Each of them derived his energy and enthusiasm from the participatory and appreciative audience. Sammy said, “When the audience is participating I love it. I love ad-libbing and improvising on the spot. However, I also write a lot of material.”

Sugar Sammy acquired his nickname from a sorority at McGill University in Montreal. Of Punjabi origin, when asked his real name, Sammy said, “I’d rather not say because I get a lot of death threats from the people via telephone e-mails and in person.”

An actor and full-time comic, Sammy says, “I think its something I naturally knew that I had but I think what triggered it was watching Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious” when I was nine years old.”

Sammy, who is fluent in French as well, said, he will be performing in Quebec, and also plans to tour France, Belgium and Switzerland soon. To a question if he ever makes fun of politicians such as American President Bush or Canadian Prime Minister Martin, Sammy said, “I think when you write material it has to come from the heart. I’m not really interested in politics right now but I’m sure it’ll come in a few years.”





To a question if he preferred a particular ethnic group as a target at his performances, Sammy responded, “I grew up in an environment where everybody got along and understood each other. Montreal is very cool like that. Indians are just the same as all the other ethnicities. Once you start believing that they are not that way you fool yourself into censoring your material to fit them. Be yourself and Indians will respond just as well as anyone else.”

Larry Thompson majored in psychology with a minor in theatre at San Francisco State University and has been doing stand-up since 1999. His inspiration for stand-up comedy actually started when “I was eight years old and I saw how my grandmother used to laugh at the Three Stooges on television. One day our television broke, so I started doing comedy to amuse my grandmother and my three younger brothers.”

Larry feels, he constantly learns from each ethnic groups and says, he has a weakness for Indian spicy foods. He is happy that “in my years of doing stand-up, I have never met an audience that I didn't like. I find the Indian people, both as an audience and as individuals, to be fascinating. When I'm on stage, my goal is to have fun. So I have subjects that I do draw from, such as talking about marriage, dating and the like.” His favorite comedians are Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters from whom, he learned the art of ad-libbing while on stage.”

Jim Dailakis, born to Greek parents in Australia, currently lives in New York and has been doing stand-up full-time for nine years now. Being an Aussie in America is a significant part of his act like the imitation of a kangaroo hop on stage. He talks about relationships, love, and mimics movie stars just as readily as he switches from American to Australian accent.

He also does radio voiceovers and prank calls. Jim who considers myself an actor first and a comedian second, went to school in Australia. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York City and writes screenplays. “I've written four screenplays and one of them now has a distributor, a director who's worked with Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe.”

Confesses Jim, “I'm not really sure what inspired me to become a standup comedian but I'm sure brain damage had a lot to do with it! It really was by accident but the adrenaline rush and the overwhelmingly incredible feeling I get making people laugh is a fix I definitely got used to and love.”

Jim calls Indian audiences “fantastic.” I'm not just saying that but I found that they are extremely responsive and have a very similar feel to Greek audiences. I think it's the strong family bond that our cultures are known for. Having said that, I think it's also quite funny that if a joke is really good they'll respond magnificently but if it's not that great the silence can be deafening!”

Adds Jim, “I grew up with so many Asians in Australia who are still friends so I feel like I have somewhat of a beat to the culture. He says, Australians are also a great audience, specially those who live in cities. They are very attentive and most patient. They will wait forever if they have to wait for you to get to the punch line.

Jim says, “I really love doing this. Sometimes, I don't think an audience realizes that they are doing just as much for me as I'm doing for them. Seeing a whole room full of people smiling and laughing is an unbelievable feeling. It's an incredible high.”

Jim’s site: www.comedianjim.com

Rahul Siddharth, an up-and-coming stand-up who warmed up the crowd at the recent Intense show, started by declaring, “Punjabis could be considered the Irish of Asia.”

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

Warrior – Perhaps Not for the Masses -- Film Review

Raj S. Rangarajan



Sunita Sharma & Irfan Khan (Photo courtesy of Miramax Films)






Irfan Khan (Photo courtesy of Miramax Films)





You have perhaps seen it all: the macabre, the bizarre, violent beheadings and other cruel acts in the name of drama and cinematic effect. Directors offering brutality and revenge, horror and suspense – as themes, have perhaps also enthralled you. Today, even children, who are constantly exposed to so many violent scenes on the home television screen or on cinema, seem blasé.

Somehow Warrior is different and powerful. Part of the reason is the male lead’s personality portrayed superbly by Irfan Khan (Maqbool, Charas) and secondly, thanks are due to writer-director Asif Kapadia’s directorial brilliance blended with Roman Osin’s creative genius behind the camera. Osin treats Rajasthan’s vast desert expanse with scorpions, anacondas – the undulating dunes and ancient forts at 120 degrees temperature – like his backyard and manages to make the viewer feel reassured when admiring the lush greens of himalayan Himachal Pradesh.

Lafcadia (Khan), a skilled Rajput is ruthless, capable and efficient. A local chieftan (Anupam Shyam) uses Lafcadia to carry out savage punishments, beheadings and raids of villages: scenes reminiscent of the 19th century when such killings were commonplace. One day, while being involved in a bloody massacre, Lafcadia decides to give up his violent ways. In a sudden meeting with a young girl (Sunita Sharma) who has been friendly with his son (Puru Chhibber), Lafcadia decides to change. He prays at a local shrine, drops his sword and decides never to kill again. While he vows to change, the warlord was not about to let Lafcadia go.

If you like grit, manliness, strength and leadership in your films you will like this Warrior. Khan follows his sense of duty before becoming a dissident, and soon his conscience takes over. The movie depicts one man trying to change his own life beyond vengeance and Lafcadia, who lives in a harsh world, is keen on becoming a better person – a better father. It caters to a certain kind of genre – and as co-screenwriters Tim Miller and Kapadia say, the source for the story came from a Japanese folk tale wherein a young man training to be a samurai, is shown a severed head and its significance. Warrior probes a similar query as to why this warrior decides to give up the life of killings.

Kapadia has preferred to pick non-actors for some roles “because they’re more likely to have stronger faces and looks…non-professional actors can get across so much information without saying a word.” One such non-professional he picked was Annuddin who, in playing the role of Biswas, has to hunt down Lafcadia and bring back his head. Another novice that the British director selected was Noor Mani, picked up from an Indian shelter for homeless kids who play a street-smart thief.

With his own son being killed at the behest of the warlord, Lafcadia takes on Mani as a friend who accompanies him on his flight for peace and freedom. In a soft scene, Lafcadia shows his human touch when he mischievously moves the eating plate away from Mani.

Osin won the Technical Achievement Award for cinematography at the British Independence Film Awards. Kapadia, raised in Hackney in East London, who reportedly took up directing quite by chance, has managed to turn ordinary villagers into actors and it is particularly creditable since its his directorial debut. His graduate film – The Sheep Thief, when he was studying at The Royal College of Art in London, won the Jury Prize at Cannes and the Grand Prix at the European Short Film Festival in Brest.

Irfan Khan, who has appeared in the Bollywood erotic mystery Rog, received a fellowship to study at the National School of Drama, and is slated to appear in Mira Nair’s The Namesake based on a bestseller by Jhumpa Lahiri.

In the final analysis, one is tempted to ask: Did the movie have a purpose? Was it entertainment? Was it history? Was it anger? Was it duty? Or, was it a combination of all of the above? The violence and angst of the portrayals are so intense that a viewer will either tolerate the movie or reject it completely.

But, then aren’t so many films these days polarizing?

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

$147M Asian Sales Leave Past Records in the Dust

by Raj S. Rangarajan


NEW YORK—Asian art sales held in Hong Kong last month continued to break auction records across a range of genres, including Chinese ceramics, contemporary Chinese art and Southeast Asian and modern Indian paintings, including contemporary art.
Christie’s achieved a total of $89.6 million in auctions held May 29-30. Chinese ceramics and works of art yielded about a third of that figure at $30.96 million. On May 29 Christie’s also sold pieces from the Yageo Foundation, Taiwan: 28 major contemporary Chinese artworks that netted $8.26 million and set several artist records.
Sotheby’s sales from May 1-2 totaled $57.57 million, topped, as at Christie’s, by Chinese ceramics and works of art that fetched a total of $33.32 million.
Commenting on Sotheby’s highest sales ever in Hong Kong, Henry Howard-Sneyd, managing director, Sotheby’s China, Southeast Asia and Australasia, said, “The unprecedented prices achieved, particularly in the fine art auctions, affirm the strength of the market.”
At Sotheby’s a new world record was set for Qing porcelain when London dealer Giuseppe Eskenazi won a rare celadon-glazed reticulated hexagonal vase with seal mark and period of Qianlong (1736-95) for $5.76 million.
An auction record was set for Chinese artist Xie Zhiliu when his hanging scroll in ink and color on paper Luxuriant Pines fell for $1.16 million to an Asian buyer at 11 times the high estimate.
C.K. Cheung, head of Sotheby’s Chinese paintings department, commented on the “extremely active bidding in the salesroom and on the telephone, and the high participation rate of Asian buyers who are willing to pay high prices for the best items in the sale.” Three works by Zhang Daqian figured in the top ten, with his ink-and-color works selling at prices ranging from $489,478/906,099.
Said Evelyn Lin, specialist in Chinese contemporary art at Sotheby’s: “Works from well-known artists Gu Wenda, Wang Guangyi, Xu Bing, Zhang Xiaogang and Lu Ye brought tremendous prices, with frenzied bidding from around the world.” An oil-on-canvas, 11.1.1959, by Zhao Wuji (also known as Zao Wou-ki, b. 1921), realized $733,704; and in the top ten contemporary art prices, Wu Guanzhong had four oils—three on canvas, one on board—each selling at prices ranging from $273,985/475,112, more than three times above the high estimates.
Zhao’s work was recognized again at Christie’s when his triptych Juin-Octobre, 1985, set an auction record for a Chinese oil painting at $2.34 million. Three more paintings by Zhao figured in the top ten, selling at prices ranging from $627,120/889,200.
Additional artists’ records at Christie’s were set for works by Lin Fengmian (1900-91), whose Hamlet, 1940-59, made $947,440, three times the high estimate, and for Chinese artist Cai Guo Qiang (b. 1957), famous for his “gunpowder paintings.” A Certain Lunar-Eclipse (Project for Humankind No. 2), 1991 was picked up by a private buyer for $568,880, well above estimate.
Emphasizing that “three Chinese artists have now achieved prices exceeding $1 million,” Eric Chang, head of Christie’s 20th-century Chinese art department, said, “Chinese contemporary art sold amazingly well, and the section represents a record total for this art area and is a testament to Hong Kong’s role as the leading market for Chinese art and Asian contemporary art.”
Chang added that “the Yageo Foundation collection was 100 percent sold, demonstrating the high quality of the works offered.” In this group three artists set auction records: Liao Chi-Ch’un (Liao Jichun, 1902-76), for The Spanish Chateau ($1.39 million); Sanyu (Chang Yu, 1901-66), for White Chrysanthemum in a Blue & White Jardiniere ($1 million); and Wu Guanzhong (b. 1919), for the picture Village Under Mountain Lau ($627,120).
At Christie’s modern and contemporary Chinese paintings auction, Two Horses Under Pine Trees, by Xu Beihong (1895-1953), established an auction record when it was picked up by a private Asian buyer for $1.26 million, more than twice the high estimate. In this group too, Fengmian’s Admiring the Maple Wood was bought for $568,880; and Mount Jinggang, by Li Keran (1907-89), went for $452,400, as did Gathering Beside the Waterfall, by Fu Baoshi (1904-65).
The top paintings from the Southeast Asian section of contemporary art featured an international sampling of artists from Belgium, India, the Netherlands, Indonesia and the Philippines. The works all fetched above-estimate prices.
Ruoh-Ling Keong, head of Christie’s Southeast Asian pictures department, and Yamini Mehta, head of Christie’s modern Indian and contemporary art, stated, “We are thrilled with the very good results across the board and delighted to see the successful cross-marketing of this sale, which demonstrates Indian clients bidding for Southeast Asian works and vice versa.” Woman by the Lotus Pond, by a Belgian Impressionist, Adrien-Jean le Mayeur de Merpres (1880-1958), brought $379,600; Untitled, by Maqbool Fida Husain (b. 1915), realized $218,400; and Trishna, by Syed Haider Raza (b. 1922), fell to a private American buyer for $218,400.

DesiClub SAMA Awards Debut in Manhattan

Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK: Move over Oscars and Golden Globes, its now time for Desi Club Awards in New York.
The Event: SAMA 2005 South Asian Media Awards – organized by DesiClub.com and Intense Management.
Purpose: To recognise outstanding individuals or organizations in the South Asian community for their contribution, talent, performing ability and professionalism.
Location: Miller Theater at Columbia University, Manhattan, NY. Awardees were chosen by online voting somewhat similar to Fox’s American Idol program on mainstream television.


Performer Tina Sugandh



Saroosh Gull, CEO of DesiClub.com described the club as the South Asian Media Source: the gathering point for millions of South Asians interested in music, bollywood, parties and the community. Co-organizer, Aash Shravah CEO of Intense Management is responsible for marketing and management. Gull says, “the club hopes to “continuously push the envelope past preconceived notions the South Asian community has of its available opportunities.”

Performer Raghav

In Hollywood-style, a real red carpet adorned the floor and television cameras including MTV and paparazzi were seen jostling for attention with desi celebrities. Acceptance speeches were part of the deal as also a Pre-Party and an After Party for all attendees at Viscaya Lounge in Chelsea, which were well-patronized by the younger set as evidenced from the images on the club’s web site.

It was an evening of scintillating performances by bhangra specialist Bikram Singh and Ontario’s RnB singer Sumeet, reverberating moves by Detroit’s Hip Hop kingpin Kidd Skilly and company, and resonating sounds from singer and tabla expert Tina Sugandh. On occasion the 400-plus crowd cheered lustily and sometimes without reason. While subtle and humorous emcees suave Shiv Vydyula and Ashiq Abbas need to forge their entertaining skills on the anvil of practice.

Ninety nominees vied for awards in twenty categories. Among unusual categories were DJ of the Year (Rekha), Recognition in Theater or production (Geeta Citigirl), Favorite Radio Personality (Ashish Patel of NiteLifeRadio) and South Asian Lifestyle Magazine of the Year (Anokhi Vibe).


Sheetal Sheth (American Desi)




As expected Kal Penn bagged the Best Actor award and Mira Nair was Outstanding Director. Shetal Shah was named Best Actress for Arya, playing a villain in an innovative psychological thriller written/directed by Manan Singh Katohora and produced by Tirlok Malik, founder of the NRI TV Film Club that debuted last December.

Photo: Kamal Dandona and Saroosh Gull



Hotel owner Vikram Chatwal was named Entrepreneur of the Year; oldest newspaper in North America Indian Abroad won as Outstanding News Publication; Hari Sreenivasan, anchor, ABC News Now was named Noteworthy Journalist. Anand Jon was also a shoo-in for Favorite Fashion Designer and Best Model of the Year was Saira Mohan.

Congressman Bobby Jindal from Louisiana won for Outstanding political leadership; Canadian Russell Peters (of Indian origin) was voted Favorite South Asian Comedian. Aashna Patel, who also sang the American national anthem was Favorite Television Personality and, Raghav, the current rave among desis, won as Outstanding Contemporary Artist who also performed. Raghav said, “sometimes, we have to be recognised by the mainstream media before one’s own community does. This time it was different.”

The nominating committee that finalized the votes comprised accomplished folk in the performing arts and fine arts, film directors, journalism, and alternative media. The whole process was supervised by a CPA.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

Savvy High-End Buyers Send Asian Sales Soaring

Vol. XXX, No. 17                                                                                Raj S. Rangarajan

NEW YORK—Intense competition for great objects and strong demand from Japan and mainland China helped fuel record totals for Asian art at a series of spring auctions held, during what has come to be known as Asia Week, by Christie’s and Sotheby’s from March 29-April 1. Christie’s posted $26.3 million, its highest Asian art total to date and comfortably above last year’s total of $20 million. Sotheby’s took $17.8 million, more than double its year-ago figure of $8.3 million.

Observes James Lally, president of J. J. Lally & Co., Manhattan: “The impact of buyers from mainland China was an important dynamic this week. . . . And Japanese buyers, who laid low for some time, have come back strong to bid on Song dynasty (960-1279) pieces.” Lally suggests that the rising market has been a trend “for some time now. People are bidding for the high end of Chinese ceramics rather than for moderately priced items.” An exhibit of early Chinese ceramics at his gallery was sold out by more than half, he reports, citing interest from buyers in town for the auctions as well as for the International Asian Art Fair and the Arts of Pacific Asia show, which were held the first week in April.

Philip Constantinidi, director of Eskenazi Ltd., London, which exhibited Tang dynasty (618-906) works at New York’s PaceWildenstein gallery from March 28-April 9, says private collectors “are in a mood to spend money on quality.” He adds that gallery owners on the whole were upbeat this season about auction sales since “estimates were reasonable and some of the Christie’s lots were priced low.”

Sotheby’s total encompassed sales of fine Chinese ceramics and works of art ($13.36 million) and a $4.4 million sale of Indian and southeast Asian art. Christie’s sale breakdown was: $9.47 million for Chinese ceramics and works of art; $7.2 million, Indian and Southeast Asian art, including modern and contemporary art; $5.6 million, Japanese swords; and $3.9 million, Chinese snuff bottles.

At Sotheby’s in the fine Chinese ceramics and works of art category, Eskenazi Ltd. bought arare copper-red pear-shaped vase (Ming dynasty, Hongwu period, 1368-98) for $2.03 million (estimate: $300,000/500,000); and a large carved “Ding” foliate dish (Northern Song dynasty, 960-1127) for $1.53 million (estimate: $400,000/600,000).

A Chinese private collector picked up a rare set of ten Imperial Bannermen paintings(Emperor’s Honor Guard), attributed to Jin Tingbiao, inscribed by the Qianlong emperor, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-95) for $1.02 million (estimate: $100,000/150,000).

Bronze from India Stars at Sotheby’s

In the Indian and southeast Asian art section a rare, early-seventh-century bronze image of the goddess Prajnaparamita, or Saraswati, in copper alloy with silver-and-copper inlay from the Gilgit region in northwest India, set a record at $553,600 (estimate: $400,000/600,000).

Robin Dean, head of Sotheby’s Indian and Southeast Asian department, was “happy to see continued interest in rare and important Himalayan material,” adding, “We saw a rejuvenatedIndian miniatures section, with several lots selling many times over their top estimates and a continued aggressive market for modern Indian paintings.”

Maqbool Fida Husain’s acrylic-on-canvas painting Shatranj ki Khiladi (Chess Players), signed in Bengali, fetched $144,000 (estimate: $90,000/120,000); and the late Francis Newton Souza’s oil-on-canvas Landscape, signed and dated “Souza 62,” fell for $132,000 (estimate: $60,000/80,000). Both works were purchased by private European collectors.

At Christie’s, among the top ten in the Chinese ceramics auction was a 16-inch-high polychrome-glazed lobed jar, with a Jiajing period (1522-1566) mark, which was acquired for $598,400 (estimate: $300,000/500,000) by a private buyer. A “numbered” Junyao “hexagonal tripod” Narcissus bowl (Song/Jin dynasty, 12th-13th centuries) went for $396,800 to an east Asian dealer (estimate: $100,000/150,000). Theow Tow, deputy chairman, and Tina Zonars, head of the Chinese art department, reported that “the sale was anchored by several private as well as museum collections that were offered,” adding that results indicate “a continuous and strong market demand for quality, freshness and provenance.”

The sale of Indian and southeast Asian art, including modern and contemporary art,established six new auction records by Indian artists Prabhakar Barwe (1936-1995), Bikash Bhattacharjee (b. 1940), Atul Dodiya (b. 1959), Chittrovanu Mazumdar (b. 1956), Akbar Padamsee (b. 1928) and A. Ramachandran (b. 1935).

Stated Hugo Weihe, Christie’s international director of Asian art and head of its Indian and southeast Asian department: “The sale was another milestone for Indian art. The modern and contemporary section totaled $3.7 million from 94 lots, the highest total ever, and was 95 percent sold.”

A European collector bought a sandstone torso of goddess Uma (33 inches high), Khmer, Angkor period, Baphuon style, 11th century, for $486,400, against a high estimate of $350,000; and an Asian buyer picked up a gray schist head of the Emaciated Siddhartha (81⁄2 inches high), Gandhara, second-third centuries, for $284,800, more than three times the high estimate of $80,000.

Matthieu Ricard: The Compassionate Eye

Raj S. Rangarajan



LEAPING MONK DANCERS BY THE SEA (France)


During a European tour demonstrating Tibetan sacred dances, monks from the Shechen Monastery in Nepal express joy at their first sight of the Atlantic Ocean at a beach in France Collection of Madhav and Patty Dhar

The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) has on display now the photographic work of Tibetan Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard who is of French descent. The exhibition titled - The Compassionate Eye focuses on a bunch of photographs taken by Ricard during visits to the Kham region of eastern Tibet.

A creative genius who makes his camera talk Ricard has studied photography, classical music and science and has a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the Institute Pasteur. His indelible pictures – a forest of fluttering flags, a swirl of dancing monks and young monks leaping joyously at the edge of the sea – make for great poetry and a momentum that carries a certain permanency and joy.




TALL PRAYER FLAGS WITH TWO MONKS (Bhutan)

Forests of prayer flags on bamboo poles can be found throughout Bhutan -on hilltops, in wooded clearings, beside rivers, near temples, and atop mountain peaks. Printed from wooden blocks and consecrated by lamas, the flags are replaced once or twice a year by the local people - Collection of Madhav and Patty Dhar

Ricard has lived for more than thirty years in the Himalayan region and has used his camera to articulate about people, landscapes, spiritual teachers and the traditions of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan in particular and about India, in general. He is a French interpreter for the Dalai Lama and is also the author and photographer of his books Journey to Enlightenment and Monk Dancers of Tibet.

Ricard’s work will be on display till Summer this year.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

A Lot Like Love: Breezy 20-plus Comedy: Film Review

Raj S. Rangarajan


Ashton Kutcher, Kal Penn, and Ty Giordano





NEW YORK: “Don’t: You’ll ruin it!” is a line Amanda Peet (Emily) uses a couple of times in “A Lot Like Love,” a romantic comedy that also stars Ashton Kutcher (Oliver), being released Friday, April 22 in cinema halls in America and Canada.

Love is a light comedy where the female and male leads are constantly trying to read each other’s minds, each is confused or intrigued as to what the other is thinking and when they really have each other, somehow they miss saying the “right” words, which is a compliment to the writers who have the audience constantly teased. The narrative moves from New York to Los Angeles to San Francisco, and back again. The story seems to be a fuzzy reflection of some folks of the 20-plus generation that is preoccupied with the rational rather than the emotional. Once in a while a movie such as this comes along that addresses romance thematically and one is motivated to discuss the theme at length.

The characters’ insecurities, confidence and repartee are continually tested and reflected admirably where Oliver, after graduation, wants his job, career, house and girl in that order (“ducks in a row!”) but the bohemian Emily, a bold, free spirit is given to spontaneous streaks such as rushing into an airline washroom when it is already occupied by Oliver. What a way to meet.

Ashton Kutcher, who last year starred and produced the box office thriller – The Butterfly Effect has also appeared in Guess Who? with Bernie Mac and Dude, Where’s My Car? Amanda Peet (Identity, Something’s Gotta Give) who just completed a run in the play, “This Is How It Goes” at New York’s Public Theater is also currently co-starring in the Woody Allen comedy, “Melinda and Melinda” for Fox Searchlight.

In his career pursuit Oliver’s business partner is Kal Penn (Jeeter) who played a meatier role in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle as a comic with John Cho. With thick spectacles Penn looks serious and driven about obtaining finance for Kutcher’s venture capital project – Diaperush.com – with the mission statement: sell diapers. Whether the success of this movie will help Kal Penn move up a notch in his career path is debatable. Jeeter’s “moment of madness” in Love however, comes when he orders a Hummer.


(Ashton Kutcher and Kal Penn)












(Kal Penn with Amanda Peet)

Desis will be happy that the Montclair, New Jersey-born Penn is getting more roles in mainstream movies, albeit in supporting roles. Another feature he is currently shooting in Manhattan is The Namesake being directed by Mira Nair, based on a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri who won a Pulitzer for her fiction – Interpreter of Maladies.

Its perhaps a cliché but its karma inevitably – it seems – that keep these two 20-somethings’ relationship on and off over a period of seven years. While they do not complete each other’s sentences, there’s something inexplicable that draws them to each other whether it is in New York’s Chinatown, Los Angeles’s El Matador Beach or San Francisco. Witty, playful conversation – sometimes words that are never uttered by Oliver or Emily – help this romance flower in spite of themselves.

British director Nigel Cole deserves credit for attempting a concept where a great romance could ruin a good friendship, as the ad says, specially with many of today’s young questioning every aspect of life, school, career, family, et al. Cole has handled screenwriter and Los Angeles-based actor, Colin Patrick Lynch’s contemporary theme with panache and sensitivity. Lynch has been writing screenplays for 14 years and this movie – A Lot Like Love is his debut on the large screen. In 2003 under Cole’s direction Calendar Girls was adjudged Best Film at the 2003 British Comedy awards, a movie that was inspired by the real-life story of women who hit the headlines when they posed nude in their women organization’s calendar to raise money for leukemia.

Others who appear are Kathryn Hahn (Michelle) as Emily’s close friend. Hahn was Lily Lebowski in the NBC drama “Crossing Jordan” and on the big screen in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Also appearing is Ty Giordano (Graham) who acts as Oliver’s brother and their interaction is very real when the brothers communicate in American sign language. Kutcher, who spent several months learning the language says, “Graham is a character who just happens to be deaf.”

In order to represent transition of the on-going 7-year story director of photography John de Borman (earlier work with Cole on his feature film debut of Saving Grace), shows a plethora of colors and a certain anxiety in his choice of lighting, which as the relationship matures, brings his considerable skills to a mature and pleasant fruition.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

[Photos by Ben Glass. Copyright Holding Pictures Distribution Company, LLC.]

Serene Tibetan Exhibition Moves Busy New Yorkers

Raj S. Rangarajan


The Immovable One -- Achala -- Slit Silk (Kesi) Textile Weaving -- Xixia (Tangut), early 13th century (before 1227)


If you are into museums and art and the “Mystic East” now is the time for you to plan a visit of a newly-opened exhibition titled Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World. Sponsored by the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), the show has among its choice treasures items from Tibet’s three premier collections of art: the Potala Palace and the Norbulingka Summer Palace, both residences of Tibet’s rulers for over 300 years, and the Tibet Museum built in 1999.

RMA opened in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, New York last October and is dedicated to the art of the Himalayas. Chief Curator and Director of RMA Caron Smith said, this new showpiece of eastern art will showcase the serene ambience of an ancient culture. Two floors of the museum have been dedicated to Tibet displaying objects used in Tantric Buddhism and several sculptures and scrolls, large paintings and pictorial textiles. It is indeed a tribute to the provenance of the items and painstaking efforts of the collectors where 9th century objects vie for attention with those of early 20th century.



The All Seeing Lord with Eleven Heads and One Thousand Hands
Avalokiteshvara -- Metalwork Tibet, 19th - 20th century, Norbulingka Palace Collection (A 108)

The exhibition has been organized by the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, California and many of the artworks have never been seen outside China – a tourist attraction. Some of the objects were given as gifts to revered Buddhist teachers by emperors of China for service as religious advisers during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (13th-19th century).

An image of the Buddhist deity Achala (The Immovable One) in silk textile pictorial presentation is so finely woven that if not told, one could mistake it to be a painting. The inscription was offered to a teacher of Sakya lineage by a Tangut disciple and the textile is an example of the slit-silk (kesi) weave technique which was common in the 13th century. The art fell victim to Ghengis Khan’s wrath in 1227.

The resourcefulness and versatility of Tibetans are also manifest in their original art created with materials as varied as wood, conch, metal, ivory, turqoise and perhaps coral. A certain tranquillity seems to descend on the scene and the artlover or museum visitor can witness exhibits and read about their history in an unhurried manner – a definite plus. Any observer of Tibetans knows that rituals and order, discipline and organization are keys to their culture and history.

The All-seeing Lord with 11 heads and 1,000 hands – Avalokiteshvara – in metal represents universal compassion. Another 13th century piece – King Songsten Gampo (circa 618-650) was the first religous king of Tibet who promoted Buddhism. Interestingly, he was also known for having married two wives, one from Nepal and the other from China. Another unique piece of Tibetan art is a portrait of of earthly and divine beings in the 15th century bronze of Manjushri Namasangiti that has four arms and wears a crown of leaves adorned with precious jewels that sumbolizes unlimited virtues.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]

Four Girls and Two Weddings in Bride & Prejudice

(Aishwarya Rai with Martin Henderson -- Photo: Miramax Films)

Raj S. Rangarajan

The clever title of the film says it all. Author Jane Austen may not have approved the corruption of her famous book title, but director Gurinder Chadha has gotten away with it. Perhaps. Bride & Prejudice is a light comedy with no objectives to meet. It could qualify as an Indian musical with 8-10 songs in English with a white actor Will Darcy’s (played by New Zealander Martin Henderson) wooing Lalita Bakshi (Aiswarya Rai) and just when he thinks he has her, he loses.

With a script from Chadha and her husband Paul Mayeda Berges who also co-wrote Beckham here comes a story that would perhaps appeal to your “soft” side. Chadha says, “while washing the dishes, she was struck by an idea: why not mesh the Eastern mystique of Bollywood with Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.” Chadha saw in Aiswarya Rai an Austen character – feisty and independent Elizabeth Bennet with brains and guts.

Bride is a formula story with a twist where an obsessed mother wants her four daughters married. Whether she succeeds and how well she does is part of the narrative. The mother in the movie, Manorama Bakshi (Nadira Babar) does a good job (a woman larger than life, according to Chadha), but Nitin Ganatra’s (“No life without wife” Mr. Kholi) first attempt at humour tends to jar a bit. His earlier roles have been on stage with Sam Mendes and the Donmar Warehouse and in the mini-series version of The Canterbury Tales.


(Caption: Namrata Shirodkar, Nadira Babar and Anupam Kher; Photo: Miramax Films)

Anupam Kher who also appeared as the father in Beckham and several other comedic roles in Bollywood, and Aiswarya Rai have the best lines and they carry them off with aplomb most of the time. Being a pretty face and having a storyline that’s right up her alley Lalita - high strung and incensed about American tycoon Darcy’s seeming lack of respect for India carries the movie up to a point. If you believe that many a romance has started with a verbal duel Chadha has gotten it right with Lalita and Darcy going hammer and tongs at the slightest provocation. Their “now on” and “now off” dalliance sequences carry the story along splendidly with Naveen Andrews (The English Patient, ABC drama Lost) playing a supporting role as Darcy’s friend.

Namrata Shirodkar (Hathyar, Charas) Miss India 1993, (Jaya Bakshi in the movie) plays a subdued role. Chadha’s direction is superb in places, but making a slapstick shtick with translated – rather – transliterated humour is perhaps not easy.

Kher is in his element as father Chaman Bakshi but overbearing Mrs. Bakshi seems to move the story by herself. North American audiences may like the hodgepodge film thanks to songs in English with a Mariachi Mexican band, soul music on the beach in California, the dandia-raas garba and of course the boisterous Bhangra in Amritsar. Whether it will help at the box office remains to be seen. Adults living in North America and kids who have grown up here may want to see the movie more because of the curiosity factor since Beckham raised expectations that Bride does not live up to.

(Namrata Shirodkar & Aishwarya Rai -- Photo: Miramax Films)



Lest you get the impression that Bride & Prejudice is another sentimental mishmash, you are treated to a “dishum-dishum” cinema-hall scene when hero (Martin Henderson) and Johnny Wickham (Daniel Gillies) who is interested in two of the Bakshi girls, mix it up when another movie is on. The scene seems straight out of an old Western, adopted for H(B)ollywood.

“With a multinational crew, challenges differ”, says Chadha. In India there was the dust, the heat, the slowness and the chaos, which the westerners had to get used to, but on the other hand, the director felt “it was even harder for us in America because suddenly there were so many rules…its more organized but more rigid.”

Chadha pays a lot of respect to choreographer Saroj Khan for her active tutoring of dance sequences to Henderson and Andrews and New Yorker Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is singled out for the Goa Groove song on the beach. Santosh Sivan, known for his camera skills was thrilled to be able to use naturalistic lighting for intimate scenes and in the wide western outdoors of London and los Angeles, he improvised to prevent it appearing unBollywood-like.

An ideal film for a lazy weekend or when its cold and snowing. Being released, Feb. 11, in most major cities including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco.

The Canadian Premiere of the film is set for Feb 8, 2005 and proceeds will be donated to Masala! Mehndi! Masti! 2005.

[Raj S. Rangarajan is a New York based freelance writer. He covers trend stories on art, travel and lifestyles and reviews books, films and plays for media based in New York, California, Toronto, India and Australia.]