Three months ago, I met some friends of friends for drinks in a dimly-lit Times Square hotel lounge. The group included Nusrat Durrani, who runs MTV World and is now launching MTV Desi. Like the Bombay Dreams team, Durrani bemoaned his casting issues. Everyone and her mom had auditioned for VJ, but nobody looked ‘authentically’ desi American, whatever that is.
Until I met Durrani, my only image of a rocker past his 30s was of the dyed-haired, aging rockers showing off studded belts and butt-cracks at the gym or in the West Village. You want to throw an arm around their shoulders and say, ‘The ’60s, the ’70s and the ’80s are over, man. Let it go.’
Durrani is nothing like that. He’s the most punk fortysomething I’ve ever met. He’s got a wife and kid(s) and a spacious Brooklyn loft, but he still dresses like a rock star. In person he’s a shorter, desi version of Mick Jagger: the lips, the shaggy hair, the dog collar around his wrist.
But I still feel bad for the guy. Charismatic though he may be, we all know MTV has a terribly difficult time creating buzz 😉 So I was greatly relieved to hear that the NYT covered Durrani’s VJ auditions (thanks, Arun and Sachin).
Mr. Durrani said that he worried that Ms. Taufiq was too much of an Indian-American stereotype (beautiful overachiever) and that Mr. Usman would be straitjacketed in a V.J. role. Ms. Desai had no experience in front of a camera but she was cute, hip and sassy, and this captivated, as she put it, the Man… [NYT]
No shit — look at how these three are dressed. R&B singer Reshma is vamped to the max, MTV India-style. Comedian Azhar Usman is kitted out for the burbs. But video editor Niharika Desai’s look has Brooklyn artist all over it. Her site’s called Post-Punk Kitchen (hot PoPu, come ‘n get it!), for chrissake:
Niharika graduated from the University of Pennsylania… Some of her editing credits include… Alanis Morrissette Live! and SHARKS! (a series pilot on female Poker champs). [Post-Punk Kitchen]
Her female rival, Reshma, has a day job y’all might be familiar with. Ah yes, HP, the paragon of parking cushily. A college friend chose HP as his day job because they don’t make you work more than 8 hour days. He built and sold night job, a tech startup, for gobs of money, so who looks silly now?
Ms. Taufiq summed herself up: R&B artist who is bilingual in English and Hindi… and, well, chemical engineer now working in software development at Hewlett-Packard. [NYT]
What’s MTV Desi gonna play in America? You guessed it — the Brits.
He’s been a strong supporter of the Desi Underground shows and reviewed bands such as Cornershop, Badmarsh, Shri, Fundamental and Joie when they performed in the US… and Nitin Sawhney… [Rediff]Mr. Durrani, who seemed to be charmed by Ms. Desai’s irreverence, said simply: “I want to put you completely at ease. This isn’t corporate America. And M.I.A. is so central… M.I.A. is MTV Desi…” [NYT]
Sepia M.I.A.tiny indeed. Karmacy gets a nice mention:
When Karmacy introduced a new music video at the Key Club on Sunset Boulevard in May, MTV Desi was there to record it. “Blood Brothers” is percussively rapped in English and Gujarati, with synthesized sitar and flute. In three acts, it tells the story of the conflict between two Indian brothers when one emigrates to the United States to seek fame and fortune. “How do I move on, bhai (brother)?” the chorus goes, then repeats the question in Gujarati. “Cuz no matter where I go/ My soul is in the same place.” [NYT]
Durrani is launching two other channels for hyphens:
… first, MTV Desi, which will go on the air in late July; then MTV Chi, for Chinese-Americans, by the end of the year; and MTV K for Korean-Americans next year. The channels will not be merely tweaked reproductions of MTV India, MTV China or MTV Korea, three of MTV’s 42 channels abroad. Rather, they will, like their target audiences, be hybrids, blending here and there and grappling with identity issues, mostly in English. [NYT]
By the way, the world wouldn’t come to an end if the NYT told us the movie’s real name:
… Ms. Taufiq was shown a Bollywood music video, an extravagant number from “Happiness and Tears,” a huge hit film in 2001. [NYT]
That’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. Damn, I hate translating these ginned-up phoren titles 🙂
Durrani has an interesting story himself. As a marketing manager for Honda in Dubai, he grew obsessed with MTV. He dropped out, came to the U.S. with his wife and became a student all over again. He eventually landed an internship at MTV and spent nearly a decade working his way up:
It was more exacting for his wife who enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology to learn the technical aspects of designing. “From a luxurious life we moved to a student’s life in one of the worst winters here in 1995,” he recalls. “It was a learning experience and it got us back to earth. It was funny how our friends’ circle suddenly dwindled!”…… he had also got married to Afshan, a fashion designer who also happens to be his second cousin. “It was very strange. When we were kids our parents often joked that once these two grow up, let’s get them married. Though she grew up in Kashmir and I was in Lucknow, we met each year during the vacations,” he continues. “But it’s not like an arranged marriage. We fell in love with each other and my parents were only too happy for us.” [Rediff]
That’s right — the rocker judging desi American authenticity grew up in India 🙂
Here’s the MTV desi site. Watch Karmacy’s new video. Listen to a different Nusrat’s ‘Kinna Sona‘ (‘How Beautiful’).
Update: Oh, this is too good:
So the giant luddoo of hype is gathering momentum and flying towards us the masses with increasing speed and size. It’s growing ever-bigger and menacing in its huge orange carbohydrated sugary overwhelming hypedness, gripped by the invisible fingers of some auntie-cum-cultural-enforcer in the sky, heading right towards the unwilling open mouths of freaked-out north american desis whose mothers are pinching their nostrils shut…. What on earth am I talking about? Why, MTV Desi, of course!
Of Karmacy (or Lenny Kravitz?)
… can I say how much I love broody men of color with nose rings?…
But I’m tired of the mopey Eeyore faction:
Someone on the South Asian Women’s Creative Collective list pointed out today that India-phile timing is really creepy given ‘the war on terror’; it fits into a liberal agenda of multi-culti guilt and appropriation…How does liberal america apologize and feel good about its actions and inactions through these multi-culti shows?
It’s just an ad-supported TV channel, people, it’s not the Messiah.
MTV Desi should put you guys on salary. I would hazard a guess that the readership of this blog overlaps very directly with MTV Desi’s intended market.
Maybe a once-a-week “Sepia Report with Manish”? Manish as a younger Kurt Loder… (not Carson Daly, don’t worry)
Think they’d want to air the “Sita Sings the Blues” shorts?
More about MTV Desi and NY Times: I Want My MTV Desi, On Broadband Of Course
well, here in the great American midwest, I have never met the clubbing sort of first generation, or second generation desi bhai or desi behn. Well, I dont go to dance clubs either, so, I shouldnt be talking. BTW, have you guys ever seen a desi like me who plays in a bluegrass band? I have never seen another desi at any of the blugrass festivals I have been to. I wonder if Durrani sahib might be interested.
A friend just emailed the NYT article to me, and one of the things I said in reply was that beautiful overachiever is about the best stereotype I’ve ever heard.
Nina – have you pitched it at Oxygen? You might get some interest as a “feminist retelling” of a classic …
— E
ha ha ha! Just last week I was hanging out with this dude who used to work for MTV India and he was describing Durrani to me, saying he looked just like Mick Jagger. I’d interviewed Durrani on the phone months ago (I found him friendly but informationally useless, I couldn’t write the article in the end) and had imagined him somehow looking like the other, late Nusrat. 😉
Dude, Im so v.j material. I can drop into the “heavily accented indian trying to adopt american slang” routine in like a moments notice. I already practiced my indian uncle/ graduate students / sambar induced vomiting scenerios in my head. I know the required minimum 3 south asian rappers. And I am down with enough proto-desi music to name check ms.arular, and asian dub when my backs against the wall. And ofcourse just as ubiquitous, I can Hollaturboy, to MTV’s content. So like.. you know.. holla at your boy!
Andrew Jackson,
You sure you’re up for it? Here’s a Desi Hip Hop Cultcha Trivia Quiz. If you get all the answers right, you get the job:
Dum Dum Project, “Rewind”: “Beat box?/ Naw, me hotta/ Planet rock again?/ ______ Bambaataa”
Amitabh Bachchan ‘rap-syncs’ in English in the closing credits of which recent Hindi film? _________
M.I.A., “You can watch TV/ You can watch the media/ _______________ doing takeover”
“Missy, Timbaland, Magoo naal gaana/ Aaj sare aane Club vich jaana, jitto desi gaana ___________” (Even if you don’t know the song, guess)
Apache Indian: “Me wan girl from ______________ / Me wan gal say a soni curi / Me wan gal mon to look after me / Me wan gal that say she love me”
“Thora _________ lagta hai”
What was the title of Bally Sagoo’s first album?
Why did Desi youth in the UK pioneer the ‘day rave’ scene in the 1980s?
Who is Kamaljit?
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan features prominently in the soundtrack to which early 1990s Oliver Stone movie?
NO CHEATING.
Amitabh Bachchan ‘rap-syncs’ in English in the closing credits of which recent Hindi film? BUNTY AUR BABLI
M.I.A., “You can watch TV/ You can watch the media/ PRESIDENT BUSH doing takeover”
“Missy, Timbaland, Magoo naal gaana/ Aaj sare aane Club vich jaana, jitto desi gaana GAANA(?)” (Even if you don’t know the song, guess)
Apache Indian: “Me wan girl from JULUNDHAR CITY/ Me wan gal say a soni curi / Me wan gal mon to look after me / Me wan gal that say she love me”
“Thora RESHAM lagta hai”
What was the title of Bally Sagoo’s first album? WHAM BAM
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan features prominently in the soundtrack to which early 1990s Oliver Stone movie? NATURAL BORN KILLERS
Afrika
Their parents wouldn’t let them out at night and thought they were at school
Singer?
70 percent, your answer to #4 is incorrect.
30 percent, your answers to #1 and #9 are incorrect. But I’m impressed you got #8.
I’ll hold off on giving answers for a little bit.
Amardeep–you have to come better than this… I filled all the answers in so that they are in one place.
1.India bambatta 2.Bunty Aur Babli, 3. President Bush 4. lagda 5. Jallandhar city 6. resham 7. Wham Bam 8. Easier to get out of the house during the day than at night 9. Jay Sean 10. Natural Born Killers
Sajit,
You’re hired! You might as well go ahead and tattoo “Tapori Life” on your back, in massive gothic lettering.
Ok, I gather it was a little easy. But #1, #4, and #9 seemed to be giving people some problems. 1 and 4 are from songs off the Friction CD, so if you have it it’s easy. And I know that everyone on SM would probably know every trivial little detail about Jay Sean, including the B-Sides, the remixes, and whether he wears boxers or briefs…
In the Dum Dum Project song, I like when they say “India Bambaataa.” It’s like they’re claiming hip hop for themselves. They’re acknowledging the lineage (Planet Rock/Afrika Bambaataa), but slightly differentiating themselves along the way. (I also liked the reference to “Asian Kojack”)
The next quiz will be harder.
‘CD’? What are these ‘CDs’ you speak of? 😉
any chance that mtvdesi could have the brand of humor popularized by mtvindia(the rupa undewear& baniyan shayer,and the well-played shayer…)
the college humor back in the des,though not terribly astute,is still miles ahead what the bollywood dishes out and is best sampled at college festivals…..anyone here identifies with ‘ad-fads’ or ‘twisted films’…?
Has anyone heard 89.3 Dhoom FM (www.dhoomfm.com) in central New Jersey? It tries to appeal to the same demographic. Sometimes quite succesfully – an interesting mix of bhangra, Bollywood, and Raghav – and sometimes not so successfully – a call-in astrology show. Not sure what the future plans of the radio station are, but am curious to see how these two forms of South Asian media feed each other.
holy crap dude, I got housed on those questions. I will lay my head down in shame and walk away. I didnt think it was possible to crush dreams so efficiently online, but damn you, you bastard, you succeded.
Rani, if you want to find out the future plans of the Dhoom FM station, why don’t you call into the astrology show and find out?
Though a very noble effort by a dedicated man, i just do not see MTV desi working too long. I wonder how the ad buying is going. Perhaps some Indian astrologers and insurance agents will buy spots?
Zee TV and Asia TV do pretty well with that Sheikh watshisname from England, who promises to solve all your problems if you call him right now. Various Panditjis and their phone numbers are also quite prevalent.
The ads may not be as hip as the VJs, but if they pay the bills, hey ok. And somebody must be calling in.
These days, I go to astrology when I am trying to ascertain the future of the Democratic party. I will try this DhoomFM person, and if he’s good, recommend him to my good friend Howard Dean.
PinkLovesBunty, Ha! But the astrologer on DhoomFM is really mean. She gives you a short answer and then askes the caller to follow up by calling her hotline. (Please don’t ask me how I know all this.) All anyone asks is: “When will I get married?” and “When will I get my greencard?”
Amardeep, but isn’t MTVDesi trying to be the opposite of ZEE and SONY, in terms of hipness/advertisers? My parents get ZEE and SONY ’cause my mom digs all those corny soaps. The ads for Peer Syed Sahib, pre-packaged Indian food (blegh), HiFly Travel, etc. work on ZEE but probably won’t fly on MTVDesi. I would think MTV is looking for more upmarket advertising ’cause they are trying to appeal to the 18-34 set.
I don’t think that ads will be limited to desi owned business. Many mainstream companies are well aware of the disposable income desi’s in this country have, especially young, unmarried, desis.
Ok, I came up with another quiz, and put it on “Quizyourfriends.com.”
It’s here. Your score will get sent to me, and I will publicize a top 10.
I tried to design it so that if you are a real ‘head’ you won’t have to look anything up. It might still be too easy for the pros… we’ll see.
Remember — no cheating.
Warning on the above link — pop-ups. You might want to make sure your pop-up blocker is on.
sheesh – i keed, i keed people. the references to astrologers and desi insurance men in my post are what is known as sarcasm in the western world. 😉
but kidding aside, there is a real issue here of how big (and active) the potential viewership of MTV Desi is (especially with 500 other channels, homework and playstation competing for the time of our little Gen Y chapatis).
with that in mind, who will buy enough ad spots to sustain a startup cable channel such as MTV Desi (or mtv chi / mtv k)? i for one hope to be proved wrong! brown/yellow power!
Correction — your score will appear if you click on the above link, once you’ve done the quiz.
Judging by the scores, so far it looks like this one is a little tougher! 😉
Well, everyone can feel free to go take the quiz without risk of embarassment at this point, because I did so poorly, I’m on the Kelvin scale.
Hey Saurav,
Thanks for taking the quiz!
I did worse than Manish?! ouch. 😉
The only person who’s scored 100% is someone calling himself “Raghav.” Not the Raghav… I wonder? OMG OMG OMG
Also, thus far, the best anyone associated with SM has done is A N N A, at 7/8. Which just goes to show: the people who talk the most don’t always know the most.
😉
Anna, did you Google any of it?
folks have mentioned desi remixes…and friction…where does one get these cds (or buy the mp3) in the US?
thanks.
manish, considering that my entire “about” page consists of music, what do YOU think? honestly, you should know better. if i had googled it, hyper-competitive me would’ve nailed 8/8. 😉
amardeep, that was great fun. thanks for putting it together!
I just scored an 88, suckers. But no VJ aspirations for me, thank u veddy much.
63 … but I don’t even pretend to compete in this arena of music. I’m pretty surprised I did as well as that.
So, apparently MTV Desi launched this week. Has anyone actually seen it? (Or are we true Desis and waiting for a free preview?) Reax?
I wonder if it will go the way of American Desi channel– where nobody in the major metros of desi diaspora can RECEIVE the stupid channel yet…
My hubby and I were even willing to subscribe, but MTV Desi is only on DirectTV, and we have no reason to get a dish, etc. (We have Time Warner Cable.)
Hmmm… maybe I will call my parents and have them get it (They have ZEE and all that jazz) and then tape it for me :).