Book Review: If Today Be Sweet

Title: If Today be Sweet

Author: Thrity Umrigar

The story is about a Parsi family. The son (Sorab) immigrated to the US after coming to the US as a graduate student. He later marries an American (Caucasian) and settles down in the mid-west.  His mother (Tehmina Sethna) visits the US after her husband’s demise and has to grapple with the decision of where to spend the rest of her life.  She could go back to Mumbai and live by herself or chose to spend the rest of her life in the US with her son, his wife (Susan) and grandson (Cavas).

The bulk of the book deals with the mother’s dilemma and her struggles with life as a widow. The cultural challenges faced by most immigrants of Indian origin (especially parents whose children live in the US) are very well captured. Frequent comparisons are made throughout the book between the western outlook and the traditional Indian views on practically everything. These discussions (often in the mind of the lead character) fit in perfectly with the context of the story and adds depth to the emotional challenges faced by her.  Sohrab’s boss and the part of the story involving the owner of the company and his decision regarding change in leadership seemed a little far-fetched and trivialized. Apart from this, the rest of the story seemed believable and true to life.

This book is one more of the cultural cross-over books.  Unlike most books in this genre that stick to the Indian experience for the most part, this book has a very good blend of mainstream American characters.  The characters of Indian origin in the story interact with the mainstream through most parts of the book. So this book has much more to offer than a conventional “Indian experience” in the US.  Moreover, these interactions blend rather nicely into the story and don’t ever appear forced.

The author is a journalist turned University teacher and it shows in the writing which is all prim and proper except when there is “guy talk”.  The early part of the book tends to be slow (and sometimes boring) but once you survive this, the book is a very enjoyable read.

Movie Review: Invictus

Film: Invictus (“unconquered”) For more info. on the title click here.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon

This film is based on the book “Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation” and captures the rise of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa post his release from prison and his role in the success of the South African Rugby team in the 1995 World Cup.  Morgan Freeman plays the role of Nelson Mandela, while Matt Damon plays the role of the captain of the South African rugby team, Francois Pienaar.

The movie brings to light happenings during the Mandela Presidency that are fairly unknown in most of the world. The insights into the Nelson Mandela Presidency, his heart felt desires in unifying blacks and whites post-apartheid, his use of rugby as a means to unify the people, his security team comprised of both blacks and whites, his simplicity and affable nature etc.  are all cleverly blended into the script without appearing forced. Morgan Freeman as Mandela is brilliant. Matt Damon has a relatively secondary role in the film and was clearly under utilized. Director Clint Eastwood tries to bring together politics and sports in the film and somehow the focus on Mandela seems to have come at the expense of sports in the film.

Mandela’s conscious attempt in trying to unite the country through rugby is brought out very well at various stages in the film. On the other hand, the transformation in Francios Penaar’s family could have been better handled to make it more believable. His girl friend’s role in the film for instance was needless and had nothing to contribute. Likewise, the change in the mindset of the rest of rugby team did not receive enough attention and did not seem believable either. Nevertheless, the film is an enjoyable watch but its nothing to rave about.  In fact, it pales in comparison to Clint Eastwood’s previous film, Changeling.

p.s:  Since this is a film on Rugby I can’t help but think about “Chak de India” (hockey) and “Lagaan” (cricket). The context of the these films are very different. But the sections of these respective films that focus on sports are so much better handled in the Hindi films.

Marrying Anita: A Quest for Love in the New India

Title: Marrying Anita: A Quest for Love in the New India
Author: Anita Jain

The author is a journalist who relocates to India partly with the objective of finding a husband!  The book is a memoir of her experiences in India and mostly focused on her relationships. Despite the book having no conventional story as as such, it is engaging and interesting. The book captures the more culturally progressive social scene in India particularly among the younger generation.  She brings to light the prejudices she encounters at various times (while renting a house, dating etc.) highlighting the issues faced by second generation Indians from the US in India —  too Indian to be treated as an American, and too American to be considered an Indian!

The author’s interaction with her parents in the US (first generation Indians) is truly hilarious and very believable.  The book is admirably candid and funny, especially the various relationships and their cultural dynamics.  For NRIs (especially if you are out of touch and curious to know what its like to be young in India these days), this book a perfect read. If you are socially conservative you are in for a rude shock. If you are progressive, you might still be in for a few surprises. The author has a great writing style and the book is an enjoyable read.

Book Review: 2 States – The story of my marriage

Title: 2 States – The Story of my marriage

Author: Chetan Bhagat

Ok, I read yet another book written by Chetan Bhagat 🙂 This book is based on the coming together and the eventual wedding between a Punjabi boy and a Tamilian girl. The bulk of the book is on the clash of cultures between the Punjabis and the Tamil Brahmins.  The book is a fast read, a sure page-turner, ideal for a long flight, and has all the makings of an entertaining Bollywood flick (with Ek duje ke liye fading in public memory the time might just be right for another shot at a similar, yet different theme with a happy ending). Given the theme of the book and its story line there is great scope for humor and the author exploits this to the maximum. The clash of cultures is nicely portrayed with plenty of hilarious situations. The authors description of the boy’s experiences in Chennai are well captured and authentic.

Like all his books, this one too is focused purely on mainstream populist Bollywood-like entertainment in text form – there is music, sex, comedy, you name it.  The downside is that the book a little too filmy, in a number of places, particularly towards the end.  The role of boy’s Dad is a perfect example. Then, there is the heroine lecturing all and sundry in the midst of stalled wedding to win over several hearts and minds.  Then, there is the girl’s mother getting to share the stage with leading playback singers  SP Balasubramaniam and Hariharan! Unfortunately, there are no foreign trips to accommodate the duet in Switzerland. The author settled for Goa instead. In the true spirit of Indian films, where “plug and play” pieces fit into various films with slight variations (like the hero’s friend with a comedic side track a la Vivek in Tamil films), the author seems to be developing his own “modules” so to speak — the hero delivering tutoring sessions seems to be his favorite having made it at least to a couple of his books.

In summary, an entertaining read and at Rs. 90, a sure no-brainer.

Mohammed Azharuddin: Tainted Star to Muslim Mascot

Life is about to come a full circle for former Indian cricket captain, Mohammed Azharuddin, as efforts are underway to revoke the lifetime ban imposed on him by the BCCI. After attempting for years to get his ban revoked, Azhar seems to have found the route to redemption in politics.

In the caste ridden politics of Uttar Pradesh, Azhar turned out to be at “the right place at the right time”. Joining the Congress was a master stroke far better than any of his delightful leg glances.

It was widely believed that Azhar’s minority status was his big liability when the scandal broke. Most other accused players escaped with relatively smaller punishments, while some bigwigs like Kapil Dev walked away completely scott free. Despite his repeated attempts to make peace, the BCCI turned down his requests and ended his career in every way imaginable.  Ten plus years hence, its a different story. Azhar’s minority status is his biggest asset as the Congress attempts to corner the Muslim vote, and checkmate Mayawati, SP and the rest of its opponents in the short and long term. It has been a long wait for one of India cricketing stars but it surely seems like this second innings is going to be a game changer for him.

It has been quite a journey for Azhar. In fact, it has all the ingredients of a Bollywood flick — humble beginning, rise to cricketing stardom, family discord, divorce and re-marriage into the world of glamor, Bollywood connections and links to the underworld, a major match-fixing scandal, turns underdog as everyone except him escapes a life time ban, tries all he can, fails,  finally chooses to enter politics, wins election by a thumping margin and finally on his way to revoking the ban. Throw in a few item numbers, and the odd villain and some sc0pe for revenge and you have a Bollywood sizzler!  Quite a heady mix, huh?

Now, check out Azhar on screen.

The truth about the state of the economy

No one seems to know the real state of the economy or rather agree on where the crisis stands or where its headed. The stock market is doing fine, yet unemployment is at an all time high and the dollar seems to be on a steady decline. The entire world is keen to learn the answer but it’s interesting to note that even the experts are unsure and can’t agree on this issue.

A perfect example of this confusion is reflected in two articles in today’s NY Times, one by David Brooks for praising Obama’s economic team headed by Tim Geithner, the other by Paul Krugman, criticizing the same team for failure.Both seem to agree though that public opinion on the overall state of the economy is negative. I suspect the Mr. Brooks given his conservative credentials is thankful that Mr. Geithner and co. didn’t swing so far to the left and go on a nationalizing binge, while Mr. Krugman is very much focused on the technicalities of the financial mess.

Mr. Krugman…

For the economy is still in deep trouble and needs much more government help. Unemployment is in double-digits; we desperately need more government spending on job creation. Banks are still weak, and credit is still tight; we desperately need more government aid to the financial sector.,….

So here’s the real tragedy of the botched bailout: Government officials, perhaps influenced by spending too much time with bankers, forgot that if you want to govern effectively you have retain the trust of the people. And by treating the financial industry — which got us into this mess in the first place — with kid gloves, they have squandered that trust.

While David Brooks…

Well, the evidence of the past eight months suggests that Geithner was mostly right and his critics were mostly wrong. The financial sector is in much better shape than it was then. TARP money is being repaid, and the debate now is what to do with the billions that were never needed. It now seems clear that nationalization would have been an unnecessary mistake — potentially expensive and dangerously disruptive.

Top 10 reasons why Sarah Palin wrote a book

10. She had banned so many books the Wasilla library was running out of books.
09. A 400+ page book sounded like the right size to hit Levi on the head.
08. Writing a book is the only way she could get on Oprah
07. The book advance was her personal bailout package and a stimulus rolled into one, and it was not from the Federal Govt.
06. She thought she could be the first to tap into the Russian market given that she could see the bookstores from her porch.
05. She wanted readers to get a feel for what its like to be before a death panel.
04. Doggone it, she wanted to be the first Joe Six Pack to write a book for all Joe Six packs.
03. Writing a book was so fast and easy she wouldn’t have to quit mid-way.
02. She was “Pallin’ around with publishers”
01. She didn’t cut it as a pitbull with lipstick, so she settled for a book that was all “bull” instead.

Movie Review: Unnai pol oruvan

Language: Tamil (also released in Telugu)

Starring: Kamal Haasan, Mohanlal, Lakshmi

This film is the Tamil re-make of the successful Hindi film, A Wednesday. The Tamil version sticks to the Hindi version for the most part except for a few twists to suit the south Indian context (CM sounding like Kalaignar, for instance, Lakshmi as the chief secretary, Mohanlal as the malayali cop etc.). Like the original, this film is an engaging thriller that keeps you guessing to the very end. Its a film based on the topic of terrorism, though there is very little violence per se. The film revolves around a terrorist threat to the city. The terrorist calls the chief of police and informs him of bombs he has placed across the city and communicates his demands. The entire length of the film revolves around the frequent communication between the two. The twist at the end adds a nice touch.

Mohanlal as the lead cop handles his role well as always. His Tamil with a strong malayali accent is fun listening to especially if you know both languages. Kamal Hassan handles his role with his usual aplomb. As always the most annoying part of his acting is his frequent use of English (as he does in most films). I could still live with his English but what I find most irritating is his American (like) accent when he speaks English. In this film he is supposed to be a regular guy and yet he couldn’t resist the American accent! (Oh, please…).

There is no question that this film is very different from anything Bollywood (or Kollywood) has turned out in recent times. It is definitely worth a watch, either in Hindi or in Tamil.

Movie Review: Pazhassi Raja

Language: Malayalam (dubbed in other languages Tamil, Telugu)

Starring: Mamooty, Sarath Kumar, Manoj K. Jayan, Padmapriya

Saw a Malayalam film in the theater after a long time. Pazhassi Raja, a magnum opus by Kerala standards, is a historical film and the costliest Malayalam film ever.  The movie is based on a King named Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja who ruled in the northern part of Kerala in 17th century prior to most well known struggles against the British rule in India.

Mamooty handles the lead role as Pazhassi Raja with ease. The supporting start cast is given plenty of screen time unlike a typical big star dominated film. Sarath Kumar, Manoj K. Jayan, and Padmapriya all perform brilliantly. Sarath Kumar in particular, stood out in his role as the Kings’s right hand man.

The sets, locales and photography were impressive.  There is plenty of violence as one would expect and there is a good measure of martial arts and clever camera work to add to the special effects. The songs were a disappointment (thankfully there were only a couple) especially considering that the same team of movie makers had terrific songs in their previous film(Vadakan Veera Katha) several years back. Despite being a fairly long film the makers have managed to keep the audience engaged right through. If you are in the mood for a period film this one is worth watching.

Thanks to this film, I now know of a one more King and his struggles against the British. 🙂

The Dollar’s demise?

Check out this piece about the dollar and its demise. The article helps put things in perspective.Besides, it gives you a nice “techie” analogy which I thought was interesting.

One economist likens it to using the Windows operating system for your computer; sure, it’s expensive and has bugs, and sure there are freeware alternatives, but it’s more convenient to use Windows because ‘everyone else is using it’. And like Windows, reserve currencies enjoy an ‘incumbency advantage’: unless a new currency can demonstrate that is offers vastly superior benefits, it cannot dislodge the entrenched one….

The author summarizes saying…

All this is not to say the dollar won’t weaken in the short term; it will. And over time, as other economic powers rise and US’ share of the global economy shrinks, other reserve currencies could organically emerge.

But the only ones who are profiting from short-term volatility driven by market hysteria of a ‘dollar collapse’ are dollar bears and bullion bulls who are looking to make jackasses of us others.