Perhaps it is because Time Magazine put one of his movies in its Top 100, or perhaps it is because his films are just plain good. Regardless, I am pleased to type that The Smithsonian Institution will be screening 5 of Guru Dutt’s works, each newly restored by the National Film Archive of India including Pyaasa, which was included in Time’s list. I liked Pyaasa, but I liked Kagaz Ke Phool and Chaudvi Ka Chand more. All three of these films will be screened, in addition to Mr. and Mrs. 55 and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. I haven’t seen either of the last two, but its Guru Dutt, so it should be good.
If I was in DC, I would be most looking forward to Chaudvi Ka Chand. Think Moh’d Rafi and his amazing voice swoon, “Chaudvin Ka Chand Ho, Ya Aaftaab Ho…”. But I digress.
The movies will be screened throughout June and the schedule is as follows: Mr. and Mrs. 55, Sunday, June 5, 2 pm. Meyer Auditorium
Pyaasa, Friday, June 17, 7 pm. Meyer Auditorium
Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Sunday, June 19, 2 pm. Meyer Auditorium
Kaagaz Ke Phool, Friday, June 24, 7 pm. Meyer Auditorium
Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Sunday, June 26, 2 pm. Meyer Auditorium Continue reading
Author Archives: sajit
Craigs List Adds More Desi Cities
Two new Desi cities added to the Craigs List family (they added Bangalore last year): Delhi and Mumbai.
Enjoy. Continue reading
Kollektiv…Coming to DC and Nationwide
Kollektiv, my favorite party night is bringing the Asian Massive sound to DC and nationwide in the next few weeks, touching down in DC for it’s third installment @ Bossa Lounge (2463 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan) on Friday, May 27th. Taking place monthly in six cities nationwide, Kollektiv brings together the asian electronic stylings of some of the key players bringing the Asian noise: Karsh Kale (Six Degrees Records), Zakhm (Mutiny), DK aka bollygirlNYC (Avaaz/Gen-Om) and Dimmsummer (Ethnotechno). They will be joined on paint and canvas by DC’s own V:shal Kanwar (Imperfections). Continue reading
Is Deepa Mehta Back in the Game?
Indo-Canadian Filmaker Deepa Mehta has signed on to direct, according to Variety, a new documentary for Canadian Television entitled, “For Crying Out Loud,” a film focusing on four women—hailing from India, El Salvador, Nigeria and Canada—who have been victims of domestic violence.
I am glad that Mehta is coming back, especially after the poor show with Bollywood/Hollywood and The Republic of Love, but what I really want to know is, when will Water, the final film in her trilogy (Fire, 1947 Earth) be released? I liked Fire, while a little slow and odd, after Mississippi Masala, it was my first foray into contemporary (non-Bollywood) Indian cinema, and I was enthralled by Mehta’s work.
When 1947 Earth was released, not only did I first see Amir Khan as a real actor, I saw that Deepa Mehta had the potential to make a serious impact on international cinema. Earth was a huge improvement on Fire, and I was anxiously awaiting the last installment of the trilogy, Water.
Anyway, a little Google search led me to this article in India Daily which suggests an imminent release.
After causing a spark in a tinderbox, her film Water is finally complete and ready for an early release. With a new cast and new settings, the film will hit theatres in November. “I”m so glad I”ve got it out of my system. Now I feel I could just retire. I”m that satisfied with Water,” said the director. The film’s rights have been given to NRI entrepreneur Ajay Virmani.
Piracy, Desi Arts, and DJ Sanj
It is a well-known fact in the South Asian community that one of the main reasons desi artists do not do well at the box office or in record stores is because of our community’s acceptance of piracy. Why pay full price for something, when you can get a rip-off of the original for half the price, right?
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I know there have been some raids on Indian stores in the US, more for pirated dvd’s than music, but it seems that the meteoric rise of the British Asian music industry has sparked British law enforcement into action. Last week, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), began raiding Indian stores to try and stop the sale and distribution of the album “Authorised” by DJ Sanj which was released on bootleg records but who is signed to EnvyRoma records, mainly for its illegal use of uncleared music samples and vocals, a problem that seems to be a regular occurrence in Asian music—think PMC’s Mundian to Bach Ke biting from busta rhymes, who bit from Knight Ryder. That sample was eventually cleared, but most of the samples aren’t.
The BPI confirmed it was investigating complaints by some of its members surrounding the remix album, released by Bootleg Recordings and distributed by the Birmingham based Hi Tech Music label. BPI Director of Anti-Piracy David Martin said: “We believe that this remix album uses lengthy samples of our members’ sound recordings without permission.” He added: “Of course we take every complaint we receive in relation to our membersÂ’ rights very seriously, and we are investigating the situation.”
Not Just a Rumor Anymore, Ash on Oprah this Monday
We have been reporting this for over a month now here on Sepia Mutiny, and it seems to be official, Aishwarya Rai (TMBWITW), who was featured prominently in DC’s most recent international filmfest, will appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show this Monday (4/25), check your local listings to find out when it airs, and Aishwarya’s official site for more updates.
Continue reading
MIDIval PunditZ–MIDIval Times…and niyaz
Sepia-friendly record label, Six Degrees Records, based out of San Francisco, releases on Tuesday April 19th a couple of albums that many of you will be interested in. The first, and one of my favorites of the year is MIDIval Times, the second full length release by the New Delhi based duo of Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, collectively known as the MIDIval PunditZ. The follow-up to their very successful 2002 debut is a bit more melodic, a bit more classically Indian, and a little less beat heavy, but nevertheless has changed my perception of what Asian Massive, or Indian influenced electronica can sound like.
The 11 track album opens with the song, “Morning,” a teaser of sorts that sets you up for an outrageous and mind-opening roller coaster ride of music. The album is not cookie-cutter by any means and does not fall into any one genre of music, at times it is Indian Classical and traditional, and at others it is Drum and Bass and filmi. Continue reading
Panjabi MC’s Steel Bangle
Many of us have been waiting a long time for some new Panjabi MC material, and while he has released a new album, entitled Steel Bangle–in reference to the Kada or bracelet that many Sikh men wear, the material used for the album is apparently music that did not make the final cut for the last album PMC recorded for nachural records.
Word around the block is that PMC, aka Rajinder Rai, had signed on to release a certain amount of records for nachural, and to fulfill his commitment he decided to release old material, again. Even though the material is leftover, it is still PMC, and so some of it is quite hot. You can hear samples of the album’s 10 tracks here so go and give it a listen. My favorite track is Nachdi Tu Gidhe Vich featuring his longtime collaborator Labh Janjua, the singer from Mundian to Bach Ke.
That being said, this is definitely not an album to write to MTV about. Continue reading
Vikram Chatwal’s Dream, a Nightmare
sure does look serene for a ‘tard whose Dream hotel has been recognized as little more than a dump.
Apparently Dream, which hasn’t been getting the best of reviews, recently got canned by Newsweek magazine. In their piece entitled “It Sure Isn’t Like Motel 6,” the magazine notes:
The Dream Hotel in midtown Manhattan, which opened in October, features three sumptuously decorated bars and, in the bizarre, amply-mirrored lobby, a towering fish tank, a Mongolian statue and a stuffed raven. Its rooms, with 37-inch wall-mounted plasma televisions, are studies in the art of trying to appear chic within a stingy 160 square feet. However, there’s no wireless Internet access, and the desk chairs are poorly positioned for working productively on a laptop. “Eclectic design and fancy marketing don’t cut it anymore for the business traveler who’s educated enough to know when they are getting the right product for the right price,†Chatwal says. But it’s hard to reconcile that with the blue luminescent photos (mostly of naked women) that greet guests as they step outside the elevators on each floor. Here’s an even worse sin: during enterprise’s recent stay, the Dream neglected to place our morning wake-up call, requiring a mad dash to the airport. For a business traveler, there’s no greater nightmare.
Perhaps Daddy’s entrepreneurial genes don’t reach Vikram.
More SM on Chatwal here and more Gawker on Chatwal here. Continue reading
A Mutinous DC Film Fest
Imagine my surprise upon opening the handy-dandy filmest DC insert in the Washington City Paper, to find a plethora of Indian films being screened. Now, I am used to seeing one or two, but amongst the many other fine films from other countries being screened, 10 Indian films have been selected for screening. A couple highlights of the selections include an opening night screening of Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat (starring TMBWITW Aishwarya Rai) sponsored by Air India and Nutella, a screening of Chokher Bali also starring Rai, both with Ghosh in attendance, the stunningly beautiful, musically amazing, yet poorly scripted Dil Se (score by AR Rahman), Dev starring Om Puri and Amitabh Bachchan (with Amitabh in attendance), and Songs of Mahulbani which will be shown with the Oscar nominated Little Terrorist. Continue reading