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The last thing you want to hear in bed: ‘Smallville’ |
The Partition trailer is now online, and it’s giving me déjà vu (thanks, Jay):
Partition: In the midst of one such massacre, Gian [Singh] finds Naseem, a 17-year-old Muslim girl, and takes her under his protection. They gradually find themselves drawn to each other but, as their remarkable story plays out, the obstacles to their happiness prove all but insurmountable… [Link]
Gadar: During [Partition], Tara Singh, a truck driver, rescues a young woman named Sakina, both fall in love with each other and get married. When things calm down, Sakina decides to travel across the border to Pakistan to visit her father… [who] tries to separate her and Tara… [Link]
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p>From the trailer at least, it looks like a straight rip, but like Gangsta M.D., it’s in the reverse direction from usual. Director Vic Sarin’s pitch: Gadar meets The English Patient, minus the anti-Pakistan jingoism. He’s even kept the scene where Sunny Deol goes apeshit in front of his home to defend the girl from a raging mob.
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p>Jimi Mistry plays a hot turbanwala, Neve Campbell stars as a Brit. Kristin Kreuk’s bare back is seamless, her desi accent not. She actually sounds a whole lot like Sheetal Sheth attempting the accent, which says something about assimilation.
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p>I have zero problem with a non-desi lead actress here. This looks like a tightly-focused young love story (the score reminds me of trifling period romances like A Knight’s Tale), not an epic history of Partition. There are plenty of light-eyed Muslim women, and it’s not like they cast Jessica Simpson as Indira Gandhi.
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p>No, my question is: Kristin Kreuk?! Undeniably cute, but so chirpy she makes Tweety Bird sound like Droopy Dog.
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Bolly/Holi homage |
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It’s a Mistry |
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Kreuk in a patka |
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Kristin jaise koi nahin? |
I feel like I sent a tip in about this on the 19th of last month when I noticed it appear on AngryAsianMan
On a less whiny note… did anyone else notice the whole reference to 1949 being the year of the partition on the website? Or did I just interpret it incorrectly?
Yeah when I saw this the other day I couldn’t for the life of me tell if Neve Campbell was supposed to be British, so I’m glad you know the answer Manish. It’s a bad accent-a-thon.
Kristin’s chirpy, but you gotsta give a gal a chance to prove her acting chops. I think she’ll be OK (bar the accent), I just think the film will be typical Hollywood-in-the-tumultuous-rustic-overwhelming-period-India fare. I have no faith in this film being anything more than pure corn. Probably with some historical howlers chucked in for fun.
as a business move – the guy’s got it down right – he’ll make a profit in canada alone – the “canadian content” tax benefits and CBC play-time for the accountants, the educational element(!) for the moms, the canadian hottie I (neve) for the dads, the canadian hottie II (kreuk) for the teens, the weedy non-threateningest indic male for the feminists – he’s got it down pat.
but gadar was better.. and so was veere zara
Hey, I’m just happy that they gave him more than a few days growth and a decent turban to put on his head. Then again, I’m just too squeamish to watch the hair cutting scene, I’ll have to avert my gaze until they have him looking like a muslim.
hhmm…Jimi looks really good in this, but i just get the big green heebie jeebies with a side of the ooooo for crying out loud run far aways when there are way to chirpy anorexic supermodel type actresses stuck into anything. That and the plotline of a 38 year old and a 17 year old doing the big one. I’d need to see this for free somehow with one hell of a fast forward button. Gotta say though, jimmy looks btter as a singh than he does in real life. 🙂
mm…i’ll give it a shot, but i really wanna see gadar. i agrew ith you manish, indeed – thank god they didn’t cast something as bad jessica. this girl would have been even better, as per request from a friend for my mentioning.
What is all this Kristin-bitchin? She’s not an “anorexic supermodel type actress” Pattie, she’s 5’3″ and has a figure like this. Looks like a nice homely girl, since when has chirpy been a foible?
And apparently Jimi Mistry is a “weedy male”.
How encouraging that you’ve both condemned their performances before the film’s even out.
Dude, she’s WB, the home of mallrat cinema.
Since the first time I met a woman, not a girl.
What is all this Kristin-bitchin? She’s not an “anorexic supermodel type actress” Pattie, she’s 5’3″ and has a figure like this. Looks like a nice homely girl, since when has chirpy been a foible?
And apparently Jimi Mistry is a “weedy male”.
How encouraging that you’ve both condemned their performances before the film’s even out.
wait a minute here…don’t get your feathers all a ruffle…sheesh. first off, i said nothing about him being a ‘weedy male’. i don’t knew where that came from. i have not condemned HIM, and here in USA there a are lot of girls with chirpy voices that are annoying. i am not condemning either of them. i am saying that the plotline of a 38 year old and a 17 year old is just bbrrhhhh. ok, that is completlet different than the actor who is playing a ROLE. however, i also mentioned that i’d give the film a view, anyway. i am giving it a chance, and i also agreed with manish that she is not as bad as jessica simpson. and not that it really matters to argue, i just wish they’d have more people who are not skinny as twigs in movies, to show that all people can be beautiful, because there is an emphasis being skinny things.
relax, it could turn ou to be be a very good movie, and their acting could turn out to be great, i;m not condemning anything, i’m just pointing out a few skeptical opinions. don’t take things so seriously before you let soemone explain themselves.
Manish…! In the words of Paris, that was hott. 😉
At no point did I attribute the weedy male comment to you Pattie, hence why I said “you both” referring to you and dhaavak.
As for having less skinny people in films, well I doubt that’ll ever change. Thin people are considered more attractive by most people, hence beautiful is synonymous with thin. That’s life. I, for one, prefer looking at good-looking, slim people on the big screen, not tubby ones.
lmao…. manish, that was priceless.
let’s put it this way – she seems like she could be a really cool person if she hadn’t fallen for the squeaky tennybopper image, and i hope that one day, she’ll shed the image and truly be a wonderful actress, instead of another example of WB’s turning from a channel to a cult.
At no point did I attribute the weedy male comment to you Pattie, hence why I said “you both” referring to you and dhaavak.
As for having less skinny people in films, well I doubt that’ll ever change. Thin people are considered more attractive by most people, hence beautiful is synonymous with thin. That’s life. I, for one, prefer looking at good-looking, slim people on the big screen, not tubby ones.
fine, anyhoo….for me, when i watch soemeone on the big screen there’s more than just a body involved. if daler mehndi was going to come out in a lead role, i’d be just as happy to see him, as i would amitabh or adrian brody, or god knows who else, as long as he conveyed his role well enough. we, as society have come to see things as skinny is beauty, heavier is ugly. truth is, the beauty does not come from the body shape. so, bless you if you do, but there are those of us who see it from a different angle, and we can say this too. and from the physical level, there are many lovely looking people of all weight classes. like the afformentioned chubby cheeked one, there are also some heavier female actresses in the industry (whose names i forget at the moment, but i’ve seen in adverts) who outshine the others, because they are ahppy with who they are isnide, and aren’t worring about nips, tucks, or odd exercise rotuines to stick to some dumb standard put out by soceity and especially the entertainment industry.
Ok, that preview gave me chills.
-Did Sunny Deol’s character cut his hair towards the end of Gadar? Did Gurdas Mann’s character in Shaheed-e-Mohabbat?
-How big is this movie going to be? Is this independent or will it be shown in mainstream theatres?
-Kristin is HOT. I’ve had a crush on her pre-Smallville/Neutrogena when she was on some pre-teen show. Kristin as a punjaban .. even hotter!
Dudes – 4 posts related to Sikhs in one day? Might as well rename the blog SikhMutiny.
i have to say…judging from the preview, kristin’s accent is awful! and looks like they pretty much showed the entire film’s story in the preview. what’s left to see!?
You know what I’m not so bothered by the accents though I’m a little insulted that they’d pick a non desi to play a desi role. What gives? I mean don’t pick Aishwarya but for petes sake there are a billion people in India and the women are gorgeous. Could they not find a desi chick? Believe it or not Canadian hottie Lisa Ray would have been good in this role. But the trailer gave me chills, Mistry is a cutie (albeit being too waify) and I’d see it for the subject material and the western production.
i think sheez hot. mebee she’ll fill out. i will check out the legion of decency’s site what stuff she shows off….
” I’m a little insulted that they’d pick a non desi to play a desi role.’
Miss JoaT,
First of all, arts and movies are not some affirmative action thing. It is an industry to make money. You should only judge them by their acting capability and critically their role.
By defintion, an actor plays a role, and therefore, their real ethnicity, etc. should never be an issue. From http://www.answers.com, Definition: person who performs, entertains by role-playing. The key word is role-playing.
MOST IMP: Directors and producers pick the actors and actress they think best is for the role, and also they can afford.
By your token, only Indians should play Indians. Same ethnicities should play within their own ethnicities.
Then why did Al Pacino (an Italian American) played Cuban-immigrant gangster in Scarface. I can go on and on……..
Maybe, only Kilngons should only play klingons.
God, how can Indian ever be in Shakespearen play or movie then?
shilpa shetty would have ben another great choice. she’s cool.
Good lord KT. You are just oh so slightly exaggerating dramatic. By your logic Gwyneth Paltrow can play Imelda Marcos and Shabana Azmi can play Queen Elizabeth. It’s all well and good to judge a actor by his/her acting and another to be a little out of context to ignore. Ethnic roles in general require someone that at least looks it. A Cuban doesn’t look that different for all intents and purposes from an Italian so Pachino could pull it. From the trailer KK is fairly convincible with her accent/looks but it’s still irritating to me. If wanting to not see Brad Pitt play Bruce Lee makes me racist so be it!
I met her in Bombay once and she was a complete biatch. Random thought =)
!!!! pickings must be slim south of the 49th ||
– duck –
I met her in Bombay once and she was a complete biatch. Random thought =)
i have yet to meet her. but have seen her acting. oh, well, each to their own, yes?
If wanting to not see Brad Pitt play Bruce Lee makes me racist so be it!
woohho to that!
I didn’t really find her accent that great in the trailer, either. Oh well. Kirtsin is pretty, but just doesn’t seem right for the role. I’ll live with it.
Ouch…I don’t know if there is such a thing as slim pickings in a city of 8 million. I thought he was adorable in The Guru and East is East.
Ouch…I don’t know if there is such a thing as slim pickings in a city of 8 million. I thought he was adorable in The Guru and East is East.
he’s cute in here!
of-ho dude cuts his hair? painful scene
I’ve got a better desi accent than her, which doesn’t say much. I thought this was a bad idea when I heard this announced a year or two back. As I recall Kreuk’s -asian- heritage was played up as part of the decision for her casting, which I personally found pretty offensive. She’s an okay actress, and this looks to be an okay desisploitation movie…. which I’ll of course go to see, if just for gorgeous Jimi Mistry.
Pliagarism is bad…. Not givingcredit for it is even worse… But till our society matures film makers will have to tread on such formulas and not dare to experiment!
Total freakin’ tangent time.
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Since the first time I met a woman, not a girl.“
Do you guys mean chirpy as in voice register, or chirpy as in generally optimistic/perky, or chirpy as in smiley-even-when-not-appropriate? (No, I’m not going to go watch WB and try to infer it from that. I don’t think I’ve ever watch it, and I don’t intend to start now.)
In the last case, okay. I would say that it is a mark of maturity to know when not to smile, and be willing to show unhappiness without fear of seeming unattractive.
But the whole woman vs. girl thing–while a clever and entertaining bit of repartee–always fills me with a little foreboding, as does the boy vs. man thing. Y’all seem to have a visceral dislike of some essence of girliness vs. womanliness in Ms. Kreuk’s repertoire, and I’m rather curious as to what, exactly, you’re getting at. Is a woman with a high-pitched voice condemned to remian immature merely b/c of her vocal cords? Do real mature women not bubble or attempt to be positive?
I know that feminism wants to get away from the days when Aunt Alexandra told Scout to be a little sunbeam in her father’s life. But I am slightly perturbed by the reactionary sense that anyone who is sunbeam-like is, therefore, not womanly. I thought we wanted more options, not just a different subset of the total realm of possibility.
Just me whistling in the dark. .
Manish,
The movie maybe based on true story. So, they maybe no plagarism. I do not know without really checking the whole movie.
If you read “Freedom at Midnight“, a very similar true story is discussed that happened during Partition. The true story took a very tragic turn in the end, and even thousands of people in Pakistan mourned.
If I really digged deeper, I could give you the details, I am little busy. If somebody has read “Freedom at Midnight” or other serious partition historical books, they might attest me.
I’m a real, wizened old woman of 31 and I positively bubble all over people. No worries, Saheli-kins. I got your six. 😉
yeah, the accents were bad. some of the young kristen scenes made me feel creepy, though she matured and so made it cool i guess. none of the ‘family movie guides’ list partition yet, though there probably isn’t nudity huh? google didn’t turn up anything….
also, neve campbell’s accent sucked too.
Do you guys mean chirpy as in voice register, or chirpy as in generally optimistic/perky, or chirpy as in smiley-even-when-not-appropriate? (No, I’m not going to go watch WB and try to infer it from that. I don’t think I’ve ever watch it, and I don’t intend to start now.)
In the last case, okay. I would say that it is a mark of maturity to know when not to smile, and be willing to show unhappiness without fear of seeming unattractive.
But the whole woman vs. girl thing–while a clever and entertaining bit of repartee–always fills me with a little foreboding, as does the boy vs. man thing. Y’all seem to have a visceral dislike of some essence of girliness vs. womanliness in Ms. Kreuk’s repertoire, and I’m rather curious as to what, exactly, you’re getting at. Is a woman with a high-pitched voice condemned to remian immature merely b/c of her vocal cords? Do real mature women not bubble or attempt to be positive?
there are chirpy as indeed in in voice register, as well as in i have no clue what 1+1 make type thing, which is just frightening. especially if the person really is fairly intellegent academically. that’s what’s scary. the whole i’m a teeny bopper omg look i’m on wb i’m too cool, i can show off because that’s why i’m a genius with a really anoying voice type, and then there’s people who are cheerful, fun, and just make you laugh and happy, and not want to puke – instead they somehow manage to brigthen up your crappiest days, without having to show off bits and bobs. believe it or not, there IS more to life than T&A. Or TP&A. Or whatever combination you prefer, as long as one gets the point. We have full time ditzballs and we have people who can play a diztball, and still be fun and cool. Like hema malini in sholay..she played a girl who seemed a chatterbox ditzball at first, but was a really cool person. and in real life, hema is an awesome person. as dharmendra. hopefully, he’ll agree.
point is, there is a difference between sunhine innocent girlish thing and i’ve – been – sucking – one – many helium – so – i – seem – dumb – as – pud – don’t – take – me – out in – public – unless – you – really – hate yourself kinda deal. Those people who seem like they know only one syllable words, and even that is limited.
and anna, you are the fun kind of bubbly. don’t change.
the one other thing that gets me is that they could just like imply the more romantic acts, and not show them on the bed. that is not only soo played out, it’s not interesting. plus, it goes against the whole modesty thing. that seemed to be forgotten. i mean, there are movies that don’t have sex scenes in them that are really cool. sheesh.
Yes, Kush is right. I think it’s become one of those mythic partition stories (there are others) that continues to define 1947 for much of the subcontinent, and it’s definitely the root for both Gadar and apparently now Partition.
As the story goes, a Sikh farmer rescues a Muslim girl, they marry, have a kid. But as part of the efforts to reunite women separated from their families after partition, the girl is reunited with her family in Pakistan, and her Pakistani family will have nothing to do with her new husband and instead plan to marry her off again. So the Sikh cuts his hair, converts to Islam and goes to court in Pakistan, asking that he and his child be reunited with his wife. In the end, the court asks the girl to choose, and with her family in the courtroom she decides to divorce her husband and leave her child. So the griefstruck husband kills himself by jumping in front of a train, asking only that he be burried in his wife’s village so he can be near her.
Very romantic, at least on the surface. Of course, if you think about it, the real tragedy is the lack of the girl’s voice throughout. We don’t really ever know what she wanted. Did she really love her husband in the first place? Did she really have a choice in that courtroom?
I’m 100% behind Kush, movies are a business. Kristin Kreuk is more bankable than a desi actress who would accept the same pay. The only moment of casting the wrong Asian that ticked me off was Jason Scott Lee as Mowgli – wtf? But seeing as I’ve played various different ethnicities in plays and whatnot, I think that as long as a person looks OK, that’s all that matters. Kush’s example of Shakespeare is valid, otherwise how would our Parminder have ended up in Twelfth Night? Whether you think KK looks like a Pakistani girl is open to debate. Shilpa Shetty opposite Jimi Mistry? Please, she’s an old goat and would tower over him. Lisa Ray? Nah I think acting ability is a pre-requisite.
Thank you for putting things more succinctly than I could have Saheli, I also feel somewhat uneasy with the girl vs woman and boy vs man thing. Perhaps because I would be considered by most to be a boy and my girlfriend is a bona fide chirpy girl and hence unsuitable to play any role of pathos. Note: girlfriend, not womanfriend. This is the first time I’ve felt my age on SM.
I want to run a competition to find the Manish-penned blog post with the most hyperlinks. This is a contender. The prize is a Smallville DVD box set.
undoubtedly and as the brothers tell me, sant klaus is closer to home than the north pole.
and while we’re at it, a very special valentine’s day gift to you all… a preemie, but it’s a good way to start yer sunday – i hope the song stays with you.
Make the pool of South Asian actors/actresses larger, and up their quality and name-brand value, and you won’t have to deal with (as many) bad accents and people who “don’t look quite right”.
come on guys, quite a lot of desi dudes would be a little haraan (surprised) if a desi movie comes out with Soha Ali Khan (dreamgirl) and George Clooney as the desi. We’d at least wonder why a desi man was not available to play the part, no? Of course not all, but it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility.
On women versus girls….thats quite interesting Pattie. On a related not I always think the appeal for a man to “act like a man” is often an appeal to patriarchy. Or maybe its just that boys are often very immature. In fact I’d say even the chirpiest “girl” has more maturity than many men. Alot of guys can’t handle putting the toilet seat down, god forbid they one day have to not only put the toilet seat down, but also care for a baby, or just deal with all the miscenlanous stuff females put up with day to day
Re: Kristin Kreuk not “looking Pakistani” — There are Pakistani girls/women who do actually look like that, especially the Pathan type.
Sonia,
His hair was short throughout the film, although his beard (or lack of it) was fairly erratic, and none of it was necessarily related to the actual storyline.
Gurdaas Mann also had short hair and a trimmed beard throughout the film. He was not Keshdhari in the strict sense.
Jai does double-take
This blog is getting wilder every day. First, entire threads devoted to booty (and rightly so), and now rampant girl-on-girl daydreams. Who knew ?
Pattie Kaur,
You should definitely see Shaheed-e-Mohabbat too; it’s a far better film, excellent acting from Gurdaas Mann, and some beautiful music too (very romantic).
Re: The whole “chirpy/womanly voice & manner of speaking” argument:
Chirpy: Aishwarya Rai’s voice is by far the number one example. Also Preity Zinta to a lesser extent. Womanly: Sushmita Sen is the best example. This would also apply to Priyanka Chopra and Celina Jaitley, as anyone who has seen them being interviewed would confirm.
My own preferences lie in the second category, although that’s probably obvious to SM regulars, based on previous discussions on the topic.
However, I wouldn’t necessarily classify Kristin Kreuk’s voice as “chirpy”, at least not in Smallville; the definition would more accurately apply to the character of Chloe.
jai, you’re quite right…I will have to see Shaheed-e-Mohabbat. I just added it to my listie.
On women versus girls….thats quite interesting Pattie. On a related not I always think the appeal for a man to “act like a man” is often an appeal to patriarchy. Or maybe its just that boys are often very immature. In fact I’d say even the chirpiest “girl” has more maturity than many men. Alot of guys can’t handle putting the toilet seat down, god forbid they one day have to not only put the toilet seat down, but also care for a baby, or just deal with all the miscenlanous stuff females put up with day to day
isn’t that interesting. i wonder where these folks live, because there are many of either sex who wouldn’t know how to put down a toilet seat, or care for a baby. if you’d been to some parts of the inner city, one is just as bad as the other. point is, this is leading nowhere. one tries to explain to some people, and they just miss the point. it flies, continiously, right over their heads, so that being said…move on.
Re: chirpy voices. I recalling some years back having heard a speech therapist on television claiming that, according to cross-cultural research, the pitch of women’s speaking voices is correlated with the status that women are granted in their cultural environment (i.e., lower status = higher pitch). The theory is that women expect to be taken ‘less seriously’ in these societies, and therefore respond by not ‘giving weight’ to their own voices in a way that might seem to challenge male authority (and thereby avoiding conflict/sanctions with males). It seemed a rather logical explanation to me.
Perhaps because I would be considered by most to be a boy and my girlfriend is a bona fide chirpy girl and hence unsuitable to play any role of pathos. Note: girlfriend, not womanfriend. This is the first time I’ve felt my age on SM.
oh, dear, mised the mark again. we are taking two different views of chirpy. ok, short and blunt…
we have chirpy, as in fun, optomistic, yet not incredibly lacking of brains sounding, like anna – she’s smart and bubbly at the same time. that’s one kind of chirpy. then, you have perrenial little ditz who would stand there, staring all round her with no clue as to what’s going on if you explained to her how to open the fridge. and, as much, i’m not saying that men should act like ‘men’ and women should act like ‘women’, i’m saying that people of either sex would be better off if they acted like they had more brains in their heads. there are chirpy guys who are just as bad. look at nick lichy or whatever his name is. and, as much, i’ll add that it dosn’t mean that one shall hate them as a person, but for crying out loud, they are annoying, and there should be more things taken into account when making films. that’s why so many people watch the old movies. and shilpa shetty is 30. if that makes you an old goat, boy some of us better get our funerals prepared. and yes, acting ability, is indeed a pre-req. – BUT there are many facets to that, it’s not just being able stand on a movie set, having people pay to oogle. or, at least, that’s not how it used to be, and how it shouldn’t be.
Pattie, my point was that its my opinion women have a lot of things to put up with and I’m not sure how many men are aware of that. Maybe a lot are, but sometimes you don’t get that feeling. Sorry if in some way I offended you
Speaking of the statuesque, luxuriantly-haired Ms Shetty, she does normally have a stereotypically “chirpy” voice, although she certainly didn’t in Phir Milenge (excellent film, by the way, and very restrained, mature, “serious” acting by Shilpa).
Pattie, my point was that its my opinion women have a lot of things to put up with and I’m not sure how many men are aware of that. Maybe a lot are, but sometimes you don’t get that feeling. Sorry if in some way I offended you
thanks sahej, dear. nah…i got your point. lol. i was just trying to point out that it goes for both sexes. i do indeed get the feeling, believe you me, much of my family are the poster children for it, but i know many of my friends who cleaner than alot of the females in my family. also, if you’ve ever had the pleasure of going into a ladie’s room in some of the raunchier parts of town, they are faarrr from clean. basically, it’s upbringing and personal maturity, not sex that counts. but anyhoo, thanks for your apology, it is greatly accepted, and as much i hope i did not offend you either.
Speaking of the statuesque, luxuriantly-haired Ms Shetty, she does normally have a stereotypically “chirpy” voice, although she certainly didn’t in Phir Milenge (excellent film, by the way, and very restrained, mature, “serious” acting by Shilpa).
jai, you’re right she does! hers is enjoyable though. thanks for noting. i admit, i like shilpa. she’s adorable and exhuberant from what i’ve seen. and i find her to have better acting than much of hollywood.
Pattie,
nope not offended in the least! i’ll take your word on the bathrooms by the way!
Pattie,
nope not offended in the least! i’ll take your word on the bathrooms by the way!
cool beans! lol….soemtimes i wish i were that lucky. ooohhh my eyes. lol!