Movie Review: Kites

Vegas Meets Bollywood as Stunts Fail to Lift ‘Kites’: Review
Bloomberg, 26-May-10
Review by Indranil Ghosh

Cars smashed to smithereens,adrenalin-pumping chases, the brawn of Hrithik Roshan and aSpanish beauty shedding inhibitions and clothes all helped“Kites” become the first Bollywood movie to open in the top10 in the U.S. and Canada.

The heady cocktail was mixed by Roshan’s father Rakesh, anactor-turned-director-turned-producer. The movie made almost $1million in its opening weekend as movie-goers forgave itswafer-thin plot.

“Kites” has a backdrop of glitzy Las Vegas and ruggedNevada and New Mexico. It is boosted by high-octane adventureand the star’s looks. He plays Jay, a conman who gets by withhis green card, wits and salsa-dancing skills. Blinded bymoney, he romances the beauteous Kangana Ranaut, daughter ofcasino don Kabir Bedi.

Things go wrong when he falls in love with Barbara Mori,fiancee of Kangana’s brother. As it turns out, Barbara is oneof Jay’s many “wives” he married for cash. What follows is aforbidden romance, with Hrithik and Barbara taking off in arunaway adventure to escape the villainous don.

Originally an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Barbara hadmade a marriage of convenience with Hrithik. Then, they hadgone their separate ways, she to transform into a classy ladylove of the rich don’s son Nick and he, to the arms of Kangana.

Scanty Clothes

While Mori makes obvious attempts to sizzle with scantyclothes and come-hither smiles, she is simply too old-lookingfor the fresh-faced Hrithik. Instead of passionate romance, weget zero chemistry.

Hrithik, a dancer-cum-stuntman-cum-body builder-cum actor,contorts in the usual gravity-defying manner to indifferentmusic. To complete the adventure, there’s a Western-style bankrobbery thrown in.

For the Indian audience, bewildered by the rapid-fireSpanish rattled by the heroine, there’s a Hindi-speakingstranger. He gives over his car to the escaping duo, and is outof the script as fast as many of the other side characters.Kangna Ranaut is convincing in her role of a disturbedyoung beauty. Kabir Bedi and Nicholas Brown, who plays his son,are more comical than menacing, even with ear-slicings andrandom killings.

“Kites” is helped by sleek editing and the build-up ofthe pace toward the end. Still, director Anurag Basu showslittle of his lifelike touch displayed in other films,particularly “Life in a Metro.” Perhaps he was thrown out ofhis depth by the genre -- bordering on an improbable unionbetween a Western and a fantasy. While Basu knows a lot about Western cinema, what he does best is tell an Indian story.

Rakesh Roshan’s attempt to get his son’s entry into Hollywood via a global cast, American locales and a sleek pace,fails because of a simple flaw: It’s a poor copy.Western consumers want authentic Indian fare: hence thepopularity of chicken tikka masala or films such as “Lagaan.”

This is an age-old lesson Roshan failed to pick up fromduds going way back to “Shalimar” (1978), starring RexHarrison, Dharmendra and the hip Zeenat Aman, which tooattempted a Hollywood-Bollywood concoction. “Kites,” from Filmkraft Productions India, isdistributed worldwide by billionaire Anil Ambani’s Mumbai-based Reliance Big Pictures. This review is of the 130-minuteversion. “Kites: The Remix,” is due on May 28 edited down to 90 minutes by U.S. director Brett Ratner, with changed background music.

Information: http://www.kites-thefilm.com/
Rating: ** (Good)

Manisha Koirala Marries Samrat Dahal

Manisha's swayambar: A private affair
The Himalayan Times, 18-Jun-10
Abhilasha Subba

The bride-to-be looked more ravishing than one had imagined in a baby pink chiffon sari with silver embroidery as she welcomed the early guests to her swayambar ceremony.

Yes, acclaimed actor Manisha Koirala was busy making guests feel welcome and comfortable for her swayambar that was to take place in the afternoon of June 18. Showing much interest in the little ones around, one could hear her remarking, “Arré kati thulo bhayechha (Oh! How big he’s grown).”

The venue — Gorkarna Forest Resort — was decked just as beautifully for the swayambar of the year on this day. As per their wishes, the decoration was not overdone, it was more subtle and understated in keeping with the private affair. Traditional music filled the air, a huge white tent was set up in the courtyard where guests could relax and enjoy a lavish spread.

Renowned Bollywood actor and Koirala’s good friend Deepti Naval, the bride-to-be’s first co-star (leading man) Vivek Mushran, Suman Ranganathan and Govinda’s better-half Sunita with son Harshvardan along with some business honchos from Delhi had made it to the Capital to bless the couple.

One of Koirala’s co-stars in many films Jackie Shroff is expected to fly in tomorrow.

Koirala is marrying Nepali businessman Samrat Dahal on June 19. It is believed the two met around six months ago at a private gathering.

The swayambar ceremony took place in the Mrighatrishna Banquet Hall, right next to the courtyard.

Looking like a million dollars in a golden yellow coloured sari for the ceremony, the bride completed her look with a dazzling diamond set. The groom looked dashing in a black suit, striped tie and Nepali topi.

The swayambar started at around 2:00 pm and continued till the evening as groom’s family arrived with the saipata, a traditional ritual where the groom’s family brings trays filled with gifts for the bride. The bride’s wedding sari is part of the saipata.

No stone was left unturned to make this swayambar a memorable one. The seating arrangement in the courtyard was more intimate with tables and chairs placed conveniently for a gathering of close family and friends.

The cuisine served had a mixture of both traditional Nepali dishes and international delicacies. The typical Newari dish samay baji was the centre of attraction for foreign guests.

Though the media were not allowed in the venue initially, however, the couple were considerate enough to open the gates for the lensmen to get a few shots.

The wedding is scheduled to take place at Gokarna on June 19 and the reception will take place at Soaltee Crowne Plaza on June 20.

Brazilian Soccer Stars: One Name Is Better Than Two

One Name Is Better Than Two
The Wall Street Journal, 15-Jun-10
By JOHN LYONS

Brazil Keeps Up Its Tradition of Nicknamed Stars; Cheering for 'Duck,' 'Goose' and 'Dopey'

Júnior Silva is outraged about the World Cup team his nation is fielding.

"It's madness that Dopey left Duck and Goose off the team," Mr. Silva, a shop worker in downtown São Paulo, says in Portuguese.

Brazil may take soccer more seriously than any other nation. Some banks will close and even many nursery schools are letting out early in honor of the country's World Cup debut Tuesday against North Korea.

But conversation about the sport can sound like a page from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." A controversial figure in Brazil just now, for instance, is Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, the national coach whose player selections have sparked reaction even from a member of the nation's highest court.

But most participants in that debate have no idea who Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri is. They know Mr. Bledorn Verri as "Dunga," which is the Brazilian name given to the dwarf "Dopey" of Snow White fame. As a child, it turns out, Mr. Bledorn Verri was short, earning him a nickname that he never outgrew.

Why would he want to? By serving as captain of the nation's World Cup-winning 1994 team, he turned Dunga into a nationally revered nickname.

This year, Brazil's team is the highest-ranked squad in the World Cup, and its star—Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite—is arguably the most talented player on the planet. But even in Brazil, where his celebrity is unparalleled, few people know who Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite is. They know him as "Kaká," a nickname that evolved from a younger brother's attempt to pronounce "Ricardo."

As he grew famous, Mr. dos Santos Leite did manage to change the spelling of his nickname, from the previous "Cacá." The word Cacá is an accent away from Brazilian slang for feces.

Even newspapers never mention the real names of these stars. "If you talk to 10 people, you might find one who knows Dunga's real name, but it's probably zero. The same for Kaká," says Reinivaldo Gomes, who runs a magazine stand in São Paulo. Nicknames have a way of sticking in Brazil. The nation's 64-year-old president, Luiz Inácio da Silva, is known far and wide as "Lula," which is Portuguese for squid and a common nickname in Brazil's northeast for Luiz.

Nickname mania is part of a broader cultural penchant for keeping things casual. Brazilians, for instance, prefer first names to last names, which is why the nation's richest man, mining tycoon Eike Batista, is known as Eike. To anyone wanting to show deference, he is Mr. Eike.

But not everyone's first name is as uncommon as Eike. "My sister's name is Camila, and her three best friends are called Camila," says Andres Tavares, an executive who has been known since childhood as "Gordo" (tubby), even though he no longer carries many extra pounds.

Although nicknames pervade Brazilian society, the best-known world-wide have been soccer players, and that's no surprise: Brazil has won more World-Cup championships than any other country. Ever heard of Edson Arantes do Nascimento—the man widely regarded as the greatest soccer player of all time? How about his more-famous nickname—Pelé? A member of three of Brazil's five World Cup-winning squads, he reportedly received the nickname as a child, when he mispronounced the name of a goalkeeper called Bile.

By now, global soccer fans are used to seeing first names or nicknames on the backs of Brazilian soccer jerseys instead of the traditional last names most athletes use. But as with most things in freewheeling Brazil, there are no hard-and-fast rules to name changing.

On this year's squad, for instance, is the veteran midfielder known as Kléberson. He was born José Kléberson Pereira. His second name was so overpowering it became his whole name.,

At times, soccer nicknames get upgrades for marketing reasons. A striker on Brazil's team in South Africa, Edinaldo Batista Libânio, is known as "Grafite."

But back in 1999, when he showed up at a small soccer club in São Paulo, he was known as Dina—a nickname his coach thought sounded weak. As Grafite, he rose to the top of the national sport.

Theories abound as to why nicknames have such staying power here. But the custom is fitting for a country whose name itself is a kind of nickname. Centuries ago, the Portuguese were extracting so much Brazil wood that the name soon applied to the entire colony.

At least one Brazilian athlete brought his nickname to the National Basketball Association.

As the youngest child in his family back in São Carlos, Maybyner Rodney Hilário became known as "Nenê"—Portuguese for baby.

In 2003, at the outset of his NBA career, the nearly seven-foot tall, 250-pound center for the Denver Nuggets legally changed his name to Nene. As Brazil prepares for its first game, many here remain mystified by Coach Dunga's decision to leave off the team two young stars named Paulo Henrique Chagas de Lima and Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva.

Of course, nobody knows them by those names. They're known as "Ganso" (Goose) and "Pato" (Duck).

Ravi Singh: "I am not a great fan of lists or literary awards"

I am not a great fan of lists or literary awards
The Kathmandu Post, 30-May-2010

Ravi Singh is the editor-in-chief of Penguin India, India’s largest publishing house. He spoke to Amish Raj Mulmi about his reading habits, and why no author has been able to write like Dostoevsky.

What are you currently reading?
I am reading a manuscript by Patrick French, whose most recent work was The World Is What It Is (V.S. Naipaul’s biography). His new book is tentatively titled India: A Portrait, and is about contemporary India.

What’s the last book that you read?
I read a very interesting book called The Lost River: On the trail of the Sarasvati (Michel Danino). The issue is a very contentious one, and there are very sharp divisions because of questions on nationalism, the Aryan theory, etc. Danino makes a very logical case that the Sarasvati was a very major river, and that it was as important, if not more, than the Indus.

Before that, I read The Hindus: An Alternative History (Wendy Doniger), which is the best tribute to a great, yet flawed, religion.

Who are your favourite authors, except the ones you publish?
I suppose I am old-fashioned, but the one writer who I would name is Dostoevsky. I don’t think there is anybody who has reached that level of genius. Then, there is the Mahabharat—probably the greatest story ever told—which you can’t attribute to a single author. Among the more contemporary ones, V.S. Naipaul is a favourite, who’s a fantastic writer. Then there is this fairly underrated author called Christopher Isherwood, who championed transparency and simplicity in prose. If you are judging only by the writing, then he’s probably among the greats for me.

Any favourite books?
Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky), definitely. The Mahabharat has to be on this list, even though I don’t know whether it qualifies as a book. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) is great, as is Lord Jim (Joseph Conrad). Then, A Passage to India (E.M. Forster), which many people find strange. But I wish I would read more translations, and that there were more translations in English. For instance, among Hindi writers, I can’t identify a single work, but if you look at their whole body of work, Dharamvir Bharati and Manohar Shyam Joshi are the two authors I really like.

Any overrated and underrated books?
There are many overrated books, and the ones that I remember are obviously contemporary books. But I am not going to identify them; a couple of them are Booker winners. But I personally think Martin Amis is overrated.

There are many underrated authors; Christopher Isherwood is one. From India, there is this author called Arun Joshi, who wrote this phenomenal book called The Strange Case of Billy Biswas. Globally, I think Elfriede Jelinek, who’s won a Nobel Prize, is also underrated. Another writer, who I think should be read more in this part of the world, is Alice Munro, the best living short story writer. Then there is this Japanese writer called Yukio Mishima, who’s kind of going out of fashion now because Haruki Murakami has become ‘the great Japanese writer’.

Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
Both, actually. I find reading a really great work of fiction a transformative experience. But I read more non-fiction, which is like knowing an aspect of the world you weren’t really clued into. I think the books that do that are near-miraculous. Travel writing interests me quite a lot; I would also really like a popular science book. And the large theme-books, like The Hindus.

What do you think of book lists?
They are fun, but you shouldn’t take them too seriously. Of course, out of a 100 books’ list, 30 would appear on any list. So there is some value in that if you are looking for recommendations on what to read. I am not a great fan of lists or literary awards, because this is not a horse race. You can always tell a bad book from a good book, but if you are looking at really-good writing, how do you distinguish one great book from another? If you are a sensitive reader who has been reading a lot, you will make your own list. It’s better to discover books that way than being recommended all the time.

And book reviews?
They are absolutely necessary, because they sustain a culture of reading, and they are crucial for writers and publishers. Even a bad review often works in your favour. What is really damaging is no review or notice at all. But most reviews tend to be amateurish or irresponsible.

Why should one read?
I might sound facetious, but the world is not going to end if you don’t read. And I am not even sure if reading makes you a good person. But there is a lot to be said in favour of reading; it helps you make sense of the world that you are living in, it helps you connect with people, and it broadens your mind. Of course there are fanatics and bigots who may be great readers too, so I am not going to make any large claims about reading, but it is essential for any person interested in his or her world.