Michael Douglas, yes Michael Douglas, was in Bombay recently gearing up for his role in the third installment of the action series which includes the “Romancing the Stone” and “Jewel of the Nile” films.

The Indian Express is reporting that Racing the Monsoon , which is being produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures and Percept Picture Company, will be shot entirely in India, mostly in Sahara’s sprawling ultra-luxury Amby Valley township, south of Mumbai. Douglas, also producer of the film, is trying to get the support of the Indian Railways as a major part of the film is centered on a diamond robbery in a train. None other than TMBWITW, Aishwarya Rai, is speculated as being his co-star.

I really hope Douglas isn’t the first man Aishwarya has to kiss on the silver screen. Anyway, turns out Douglas, who has seen only “bits and pieces” of two Hindi films, both of them starring Rai, has some advice for the up-and-coming Indian film industry.

Michael Douglas confesses he’s “hardly a Bollywood expert,” but he has a theory about why Indian films don’t do well internationally. ‘‘I don’t know how you guys will take it, but I think you guys falter on script and structure,’’ said the 60-year-old Hollywood actor, in Mumbai to announce his next film. ‘‘Also, the Indian process that you guys have of actors doing many movies at one time doesn’t really benefit in the long run.’’

Smart guy that Michael Douglas.

Continue reading →

The TV Guide Insider is reporting that Kal Penn has landed a role in Six Feet Under’s final season, that begins airing in June. Penn is slated to enter the show later in the season, and play one of Claire’s (Lauren Ambrose) boyfriends, who, if you don’t watch the show, tend to be of the off-kilter variety.

Turns out, SFU creator Alan Ball loved [Penn’s] his goofy stoner flick, which costarred Off Centre’s John Cho. “You really are offering me something on Six Feet based on the character of Kumar?” Penn asked in disbelief when Ball called. The honcho’s reply? Yup.

But this is my favorite line from the article…

“So far Penn (who’s no relation to Sean)…”

I don’t know how someone would confuse the two. Continue reading →

The Indian Express is reporting that everyone’s favorite Bollywood inspired Broadway musical will be heading to the city that named it, Bombay. The show, which did a lot better in the UK, than it did in New York, will be heading to Bombay before heading to China and Hong Kong.

A.R. Rahman, the genius behind some amazing Bollywood soundtracks and the music for Bombay Dreams, sounded a bit annoyed by the response his show received in the States, suggesting that we Americans aren’t as able to think outside of our culture.

‘‘Americans are always talking about their own culture, so they can never be at the receiving-end and accept something from outside,’’ he said, adding that the musical moved to America at the wrong time. ‘‘This was the time when Americans felt that Indians were stealing their jobs, though I’m not at all disappointed.’’

I wonder if Star and Buc Wild saw Bombay Dreams? Continue reading →

This Friday, ABC’s Nightline, one of the better known newsmagazines, will be doing a show highlighting, surprise, surprise, Bollywood. The episode, senior produced by Madhulika Sikka is dubbed as “an introduction to Bollywood for the novice,” and will feature Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, and of course, Bollywood crossover Hottie-to-be, and oh yeah, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World, Aishwarya Rai.

I wonder if SM can patent that phrase, or if soon Ash will be like Michael Jackson, and be announced T as TMBWITW, Aishwarya Rai. Maybe we should patent both.

The Arizona Republic is reporting that both John Cho and Kal Penn have signed on for two more sequels to the wildly popular (at least with the Sepia Mutiny crowd), Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle film. The writing has begun on the first sequel with the internet rumors being correct, it is entitled “Harold and Kumar Go to Amsterdam.”

Whether or not it’s going to be made depends on the financial receipts from DVD sales and rentals,” Kal Penn adds. “If you liked the movie, please rent or buy it – it’ll assure that we’ll bring you another one next year.”

As indicated in another SM post, the “Extreme Unrated” DVD of the film went on sale this past Tuesday, so go out there and buy it now! Continue reading →

Yes folks, it is true. Raj Bhakta, one of SM’s favorites, will be headlining this year’s annual SASA conference. As if Gurinder Chadha, Saira Mohan, and Anish Shroff were not enouigh. Oh, and how I could I leave out fashion designerAnand Jon, the hordes of desi thugs and wannabee gangsters wreaking havoc in LA, and the threat of a hotel boycott from the list of enticements.

One of the rites of passage for many college-aged desis in North America is the annual conference of the South Asian Students Alliance, more commonly known as SASA. The conference, this year being held in Los Angeles from January 13-16th, seems to be drawing the ire of workers rightsÂ’ and other activists concerned with a boycott/strike being endorsed by almost 3,000 hotel workers against nine luxury Los Angeles-area hotels over an ongoing contract dispute with the owners, according to NBC4.tv. Labor groups including the AFL-CIO, The Los Angeles Coalition to Support Hotel Workers and the Los Angeles hotel worker’s union UNITE HERE Local 11 are boycotting the hotels located throughout the city, including the official SASA conference hotel, The Wilshire Grand.

The Coalition said 3,000 hotel workers have been without a contract since it expired in March. Workers are demanding increased wages, health care benefits, a contract through 2006 and a national voice to ensure a fair contract. “They don’t respect us,” said Donald Wilson, banquet chef at the Century Plaza Hotel, one of the other hotels being boycotted. “They say they treat us like family, but when it comes to contract time they treat us like stepchildren.” Wilson said he had worked at the Century for 26 years, and until their contract ran out this year employees always had free health care. A $40 monthly co-payment is now required, an amount many employees with families cannot afford.

In all fairness, according to a story in USC Daily Trojan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Hotel Employer Council said a contract currently being offered by the hotels offers free health care along with a 20 percent wage increase over a five-year contract period.

The Hotel Employer Council spokesmen alleges however, that “workers don’t want to accept it because it is a five-year contract” and the workers “want a two-year plan so they can join up with other cities for a 2006 national labor action.”

Anyway, to promote some kind of action from the South Asian student community, a group, known as the South Asians for Change is calling for the organizers of SASA to either change the location and show solidarity with the workers, or for students to boycott SASA altogether.