Keep an eye out for Rani Karnik, a NYC lawyer auditioning for the new season of American Idol who saves some money by reusing her Halloween costume:
In law school, she was president of an org which bears the best name ever:
I’m a lawyer by day, actor by night. [Link]
My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law: President, South Asian Law Students Association (“SALSA”)… Prior Education: 2000, B.A. in English… Columbia University… [Link]
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p>She also does voiceover work, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the photo, in which she’s apparently advertising an ottoman. She’s a disciple of Vanna White’s Path of the Open Hand, horizontal variation.
Related post: American Idol bhangra remix, South Asian crooners belt it out on ‘Idol’, Devika Mathur — one Righteous sister, Can an American Idol save a Bombay dream
For the record, I agree with BB about Chaddha. She hates on South Asian males in a particularly nasty way – not just the over stuff, but some sneakier stuff she does in the way that shots are edited. Ugh. Also, Bend It was the only one of her movies I found remotely watchable.
I also second ANNA and Abhi on this thread. So, she’s a brown public figure with some foibles. She fails to inspire either great antipathy or great lust (yes, I’ve seen the fster profile). She’s young and a bit of an exhibitionist. I don’t agree with much of what she has to say, but I don’t grok the hating that’s going on at all.
I personally don’t go either way with the “representing the community” thing. If a Desi is up to good, good for them, I say. Yes, there is that shared Desiness, for what it’s worth, but I don’t of them representing me in any way. Same with deeds/behavior I find to be personally negative. If she was out there with a big sign that said, “I’m here on behalf of all Desis everywhere, represent hooha wotwot,” then I’d have a problem with it. But she never brought her Desiness – or anyone else’s Desiness – into it; why should we?
Also, there’s this whole “good Desi girl”/”bad Desi girl” dichotomy that’s rampant both in the diaspora and in the Desh among more conservative elements of society. A woman apparently has to fit in either one or the other category, and some people are completely flummoxed when she fits in both:
Apparently there’s a problem reconciling the fact that she attends a top-notch law school with the fact that she appeared on American Idol wearing that outfit?
We all know women who don’t want to live the “good Desi girl” lifestyle, but know how to switch back and forth between the two when they want/need to. We also all know women who’ve said, “Fuck that dual bullshit, I’m living my life the way I want to.”
Who are we to tell someone how to live her life?
But there’s another problem, isn’t there? I’m assuming that many of us in this thread are men. So: Who the hell are we men to tell this woman how to live her life?
(Please don’t think this was directed at you MJ, it started off as an answer to your question)
Wow… what a crazy-retarded thread. By the by, if you’re using Friendster as some sort of research tool, you should know that according to the site, 73% of 18-35 year olds in North America are in domestic partnerships.
Mousepad Marauder:
I’m sad to say that I did indeed tune my TV to Star World last Wednesday to watch American Idol. While I didn’t actually see Rani Karnik, I did see the other contestants with whom she’s featured in that photo lineup. The other three all appeared and were rejected.
Do you think that’s a wrong estimate?
Hey Rohin in disguise!
That’s funny Rohin 😉
re: Gurinder Chadha
I admire her for being a Southall girl who has made it big in the movies. Bend it Like Beckham was good timepass. But I havent seen any of her other films.
Good points made by everyone. With regards to the negativity, what would have been good would’ve been encouragement and general words of “good luck” to Rani for her American Idol aspirations — rather than the depressingly-familiar bitching and comments about her alleged extracurricular activities, in true desi style.
Fortunately, however, it appears that only a small minority of commenters on this thread have been making the kind of comments not only prevalent amongst the more conservative quarters of South Asian society worldwide, but also along the same lines as the regressive, hypocritical rubbish promoted by Ekta Kapoor amongst many of her “Saas-Bahu” serials.
In conclusion: Rani’s done well to get this far on American Idol, she looks great in a short dress, she’s also obviously intelligent enough to be a future lawyer, and — I suspect — has enough of a subversive sense of humour to have written a deliberately-provocative Friendster profile. So, very best of luck to her.
Anyone who wants to continue to promote the notion that she’s “making the community look bad” or believes that he (and other Indians) have a God-given right to dictate the behaviour of such women should either move back to India (although life there regarding women’s rights and behaviour may be gradually becoming too liberal these days from their perspective as well), or migrate to a country where Shariah Law is in effect.
The true irony of the situation is that, rather than Rani’s appearance on American Idol and her supposed sexual proclivities, it is in fact the judgemental, patriarchal and misogynistic attitude of some of her critics here which really make “us” all look bad in the eyes of the rest of the Western world.
Can’t we just all agree to hate on Ryan Seacrest?
Absolutely, yes. What a tool.
How about Paula Abdul instead? If she uttered “arf arf”, she would look like a seal the way she claps her hands. For the record, she also has to her credit some of the worst and most torturous numbers of her day.
If she’s having fun, good for her. I personally admire anyone who can carry off such an outfit.
“Had that been the case, I would have murdered Gurinder Chadha with a pick-axe.” BB, where have you written abt Gurinder Chadha? I saw “Bend it like Beckham” and wondered if she had churned out a very stereotypical portrayal of Punjabis in the UK. But then I thought hers must be an authentic voice since she grew up in the UK. I’d like to read the vitriol!
Why was such worthless “news” on SM in the first place? You moderators shouldn’t be surprised at the mindless comments that resulted from a thread existing only b/c the photo includes a brown chick with nice legs 😉
and MJ has a point. She was pointlessly placed on this site because she’s ‘desi’ so if some people want to critique her on that basis, isn’t it hypocritical to stop them? (although the terrorism comment was assanine) She’s a desi chick doin’ her thing… put up a photo of me on SM if thats all it takes.
That very same photo was in the New York Times, yesterday. I think that makes it, and her, newsworthy.
Did you read the article? It’s about AI ratings. Not a word about Karnik minus the caption for the photo, it was arbitrarily chosen to guide the eyes towards the article. Perhaps the people choosing the photo liked her legs too =P
I am amazed on how many of the mutineers actually follow the ‘American Idol’. Such passionate debate can only be generated by true Idol fans.
I guess I am some sort of a cultural dinosaur. I remember, way back, when the first season for ‘Survivor’ came up, I went for an interview/restaurant lunch at this swank law firm. At the restaurant, the conversation turned to the favorite Survivor characters and I was shut out from the conversation for a whole 15 minutes.
A little knowledge of such trivia can go a long way as conversation enhancers.
she does have nice legs though
yes, pretty amazing stems. Too bad they’re propped on some seriously fugly stripper shoes.
there, I said it! I’ve been holding it in for days. My islets of shallowness feel so much better!
As for the rest of her outfit…if I close my eyes I can see Punky Brewster driving by in an Oldsmobile Cutless packed with Keebler elves. The car screeches to a halt and they all leap out to hurl mismatched socks and bits of dough as vengeance for defiling some of the most iconic looks of the early 80s.
That said, I shall now return to picking up the pieces of my shattered glass house…as soon as i shake out the shards caught in the tube top I’m wearing on my head.
That’s why I pointed out that her picture ran, rather than saying that there was an article about her.
Look at the second photo on Rainbow Brite. Looks like she’s waving a yellow page, i.e. she made it to Hollywood. Should see her in the next rounds.
Dudes, This babe is (in)famous, she’s in the latest USWeekly- Fashion Police..which also features an Idol Hopeful Uncle in a grass skirt–also our girl’s pic is the largest, larger than the Rhonetta..
Did Rani make it to Hollywood?
http://www.newsindia-times.com/2006/02/17/television20-110417.html
here’s an article about her
She is being interviewed on the Idol site, video footage… HOT HOT HOT
http://www.idolonfox.com/videos/?vid=100
is it just my observation alone, or do brown ladies and gents generally have great “stems”? (okay, maybe they need waxing, but once you deal with that they’re grrrreat!)
I had sex with her!