…random men everywhere who aren’t Aish/Bips/Shabana-devotees gnash their teeth and shake their fists at the sky impotently. Or not.
Oooooh, DRAMA! An anonymous tipster leaves juicy news on the…well, news tab (via SAWF):
Bollywood star Rani Mukerhee, 29, is all set to marry film maker Aditya Chopra, 36, son of Yash Raj Chopra. A commitment ceremony or “Roka” was held Monday at the Chopra bungalow in Bombay.
A source close to the family told the Hindustan Times: “The roka took place at the same Chopra bungalow where Chandni was shot. Around 60 people (family and friends) attended the ceremony that included Rani’s parents Ram and Krishna Mukherjee, brother Raja and his wife. Present from the Chopra clan were brother Uday, dad Yash Chopra and mum Pamela Chopra.”
Awww, that’s so cute! My last two german shepherds, who were litter-mates, were also named Raja and Rani. And no, I didn’t name them, so shut up.
“Rani wore a maroon saari with silver embroidery and Aditya wore a kurta-pyjama, both designed by designer Pallavi Jaikishan. Pam aunty didn’t seem very happy, as she has a soft corner for Adi’s ex-wife, Payal. Another function will take place at Rani’s house next week,” the source added.
Why do I care, when I am a clue-free Mallu ABCD who has gone on record as not paying attention to Bollywood? Because it’s JUICY. Duh.
Aditya was recently divorced from Payal Chopra, whom he married in 2001.
Ah, so THAT is why anonymous tipster namechecked Angelina Jolie! Apparently, Rani is a homewrecker, but my half- third- quarter-hearted googling found nothing. If the girl Big B got creepy with in KKKG really did break up this guy’s marriage, I’m sure one of you will edify us with confirmation of such sordid details.
According to the Mumbai Mirror, Aditya’s decision to divorce Payal, who is the daughter of a close friend of father Yash Raj, has strained relations between the father and son.
I can’t be the only one thinking…all this would make a great Bollywood movie? Life imitates art…? Annnnnd, I’m bored again. Who wants to talk about Obama, caste or saffron balls? Anyone?
Alright, I cannot believe that nobody has mentioned probably the best Hindi film to have been made since Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. A movie club without Hazaaron Khwaaishen Aisi should commit ritual seppukku (would that lead to a scene from Videodrome. Still with me, people?).
Maximum City, let me know when we start reading incase a miss a class. Also I need to make a friend whom I can copy notes from 😉
Add Maachis and Angoor to that list
Chameli ki shaadi. Don’t know why people hate that one. Fairly realistic (for a mainstream film) depiction of small town India.
Yes Rahul, Hazaaron Khwaaishen Aisi hands down the best Hindi-language film I have ever seen. Omkaara gets silver medal. The Bronze list is too long as of now.
alright, have to run to class, but feel so great about the great combination of favorites revealed here in the past two days: jaane bhi do yaaron, Hazaaron Khwaaishen Aisi, margaret atwood, nizar qabbani etc it is sometimes hard to find that set of cultural references (not that it is always necessary) embodied in the people i meet these days.
by the time i’m ready to settle down with a nice indian boy, (after many years of single living in the US and all manner of 60 mile runs) i hope SM spawns a dating website (heaven forbid). or may be i will just have to pull a rani for rahul 🙂
ps: rahul don’t get scared, i’m only kidding.
Runs? RUNS? Hai Raam! Indian girls today are so fast. Whatever happened to leisurely 60 mile walks?
You do that, and I promise you that I will decorate the area above my mouth with a hedge row from Hades.
Rahul @ 201 : Heh. Well done. Keep ’em coming.
Add to the list – Anand Patwardhan’s movies (“Father, Son, and Holy War”, “Narmada Diary” and “War and Peace”) and “Shatranj ke Khiladi”
Are we doing only contemporary Hindi cinema ? Else I want everything by Guru Dutt on that list
runa – pyaasa has been on my netflix queue forever – i just don’t have the heart to see it.
has anybody seen english, august? i know it was made several years ago, but i’ve had no luck in getting a DVD or video.
pyaasa -yes heartbreaking but for some reason “sahib Bibi aur Ghulam” is my favorite
Chaudvin ka Chand is the GREATEST SONG EVER. I haven’t seen any Guru Dutt movies though. I also really want to see C.I.D as I am crazy about noir and would like to see an Indian one.
Are we doing only contemporary Hindi cinema ? Else I want everything by Guru Dutt on that list Any Hindi movie is okay. What we don’t want is any of these (check out clip #2).
Zeroth rule of Film Club – Govinda No. 1 not allowed. The first rule of Film Club is : oh well, for the first, second and other rules of Film Club, check out this nifty video.
One desi author who I have always admired is Amit Chaterjee. He writes in a low-key accessible style . I loved both Freedom Song and A New World.
Are we doing only contemporary Hindi cinema ?
Yeah. No contemporary Tamil cinema? 😉
With all this talk of A Suitable Boy, just now, on today’s Writers’ Almanac, Garrison Keillor just did a short bio of Vikram Seth, whose birthday it is today.
In re: Chaudvin ka Chand: For some reason, I find Waheeda Rahman to be the embodiment of graciousness and understated beauty. I’d be happy if I had a fraction of the aura she has at her age.
Nahi, Rahul. I’m no fan of the moochhi. Only don’t lie to me like Michael lied to Kay. And I won’t tolerate a Lucy Mancini. If the above conditions are met, I’ll gladly slow down. Like the ever wise Cyndi, I walk far ahead, but I’ll be waiting time after time 🙂
Please tell me I won’t be banned for over-the-top, cheesy flirting and quoting Cyndi Lauper. A girl just wants to have fun.
Now who’s being naive, portmanteau?
Next thing you’ll be sayin you’re trying to find your phone and keys, not my sleeves.
rahul, don’t say you wern’t warned; “samjho na phulwa phuljhari.”
yeh jumma chumma na de 😉
dang rahul, consider posting your email address. i can’t help but reply – it’s too easy. but my public demure-desi-girl facade has been entirely hollowed; can’t have our chunri ke daag aired in public, can we?
What, am I Yashpal Sharma to your Yana Dutta? Be warned, though, I prefer my wine from a glass, not off a calf. If it was this song though, it could be a different matter…
All right.
Maximum City – Mehta will inaugurate SM’s Brown Book Club.
But then, we might do…
A Suitable Boy – Seth Kartography/Salt and Saffron – Shamsie House of Blue Mangoes – Davidar Planet India – Kamdar Untouchables – Jadhav A River Sutra – Mehta ? ? ?
What do all of you think, how long will it take you to get through the first half (280 pgs) of Maximum City? When should we have our first virtual reading fest for nerds? 🙂
I’m excited…finally we’ll have read the books everyone else has been mentioning on various threads for the past three years.
A N N A, can we can we can we please discuss the last chapter tomorrow? Pleeeeese?
You know, if you have to use one hand to support the elbow of the other hand which you have raised and are now waving frantically, you gots to chill. Also, that “Ooooh, oooh, oooh!” noise makes you sound like a monkey. 😉
Show off. Go to the head of the class, middakan. 😀
Mommy, teacher was mean in class to me today. Mean, mean, mean.
Anna, (or is it Please Ma’am:)) – can we do ‘Planet India’ at #2?
Rahul, you’re incorrigible 🙂
I vote for either 2 or 3 weeks because I’m doing a lot of crazy things over the next 10 days, and I don’t think I’ll be doing much (non-news) reading =/. I know, it’s very selfish for me to vote for a schedule that revolves around my world. 🙁
2 should be “A River Sutra”. Beautiful book which talks about a lot of touchy subjects but does a really good job of not being judgmental.
Hmmm. Well, it might be nice to alternate non-fiction with fiction…
1) Maximum City (nf) 2) River Sutra (f) 3) Planet India (nf) 4) Something Shamsie (f) 5) Untouchables (nf)
etc.
You can fly through “Maximum City,” since it’s a page-turner. It’s also out in paper.
Hmm…for ‘Planet India’, we may want to withhold judgement about its ‘non-fiction’ classification. Just kidding.
What I love about this concept is how so many of you have already finished these books, so the number of people who might potentially involve themselves in the discussion > than those who are reading it with me. 🙂 It’s like the easiest book club ever.
Preston, awesome news! Thanks for the update.
Chachaji, 😉
Can I get a small clarification, ANNA? How long do we have to read the first book? I’m one of those people who’s been living under a rock and has not read Max City yet. Can we set up some kind of hard deadline so that slackers like me will get started?
Vat no Wodehouse? I dare you to find a more desi writer. ABDs looking cross-eyed at this — I’m serious as heart attack. Learn the strange customs of your city slicker IBD brethren. Love of Edwardian comedy and classic rock.
Abso-smurfly!
Well, I kind of need your help with that. 🙂 How many pages are y’all willing to tackle per week? If I’m going to put up posts every Monday which initiate discussion on the section we just completed, would we be able to do that this Monday (the 25th) or next (the 2nd)? I think we could start now, that 280ish pages are possible in the next four days, especially if, as Preston said, it’s a page-turner.
And I guess I’ve been living under a rock, too. 😉
I vote for the 2nd! (please oh please oh please)
I’m with Camille. The 2nd works for me.
2nd please!
What, you people haven’t read the book already?
I did.
Rahul, hush, or we may have to get all gunda on your ass 🙂
Okay, Camille, since you’re being that way, Me and Bombay are going to have a cocktail at her place.
Rahul, not everyone is so accomplished in their reading and eagerness as you 😉
Is cocktail what the kids are calling it these days?
I know preening. Aren’t I such a good kid?
I can’t keep track anymore. Last I heard it was tango. But then Al Pacino barged in and swept her away, barking something like who-ah while at it.
let me know whether she is of the g&t or vodka gimlet variety, so that i may assess our potential compatibility. i assume the former, but i have a suspicion that there is more to her than meets the eye.
I told you, ak, no Air Force Colony shenanigans (I believe that’s what the kids are calling it these days). She disowns that Sapphire thing though, I know.
ok so maximum city, we have to finish first 280 pages by monday the 25th?
Jeet – by July 2. 🙂
ak, I was thinking the same thing. I hope she’s not a vodka gimlet girl.
What’s with all this hating on vodka gimlets? Judgmental much? Don’t be dissing on my Bombay.
I thought these days the kids were calling it Facebook…
As in, sit on my facebook and tell me that you love me?
How about Maximum City in two weeks?
With a book title like that we should be able to read it in a few days…any book without a mango in the cover should be fine 🙂
Please, no mangoes…