Author Archives: apul

“Bride and Prejudice” Postponed to February

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Rediff.com is reporting today that film distributor Miramax has postponed the U.S. release of Gurinder Chadha’s "Bride and Prejudice."

The film is now scheduled to open during the second week of February, moving from its original release date on Christmas. The change is bad news for the film, because it essentially pulls it out of contention for most major awards.

On the bright side of things, the postponement offers potential viewers an extra couple of months to read the film’s source material, Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice." For some of us, it provides an extra two months to think about maybe buying the Cliff Notes, but eventually relenting to a similarly-priced bottle of Thunderbird.

Rediff.com: Bride and Prejudice’s U.S. Release Postponed
Sepia Mutiny: The New York Times on Bride and Prejudice

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Karim Named to People’s “Sexiest”

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Psychiatrist and actor Reef Karim, who stars in CourtTV’s “House of Clues,” has landed on People Magazine’s annual list of “Sexiest Men Alive.”

Karim recently co-starred in the desi film, “Flavors,” and is an addiction specialist at UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute. He also makes expert appearances on VH1’s “The Love Lounge,” MTV’s “Loveline,” and NBC’s “The Today Show.”

Unfortunately, my favorite for the list, gangsta’-bandit Veerappan, failed again to make the cut. He is unlikely to do so in the future, given his newfound disqualification from the “alive” portion of the title.

The magazine, which awarded its cover to actor Jude Law, hits newsstands this Friday.

PR Newswire: Dr. Reef Karim Named One of Sexiest Men Alive by People Magazine
People: Sexiest Man Alive (Subscription Required)
Sepia Mutiny: Police Kill Notorious Dacoit

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Stars Come Out on DirecTV

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U.S. digital TV service DirecTV announced today that it will begin offering four Indian channels from News Corp.’s Star Group to its 13.5 million customers.

The new channels include:

  • Star Plus – Hindi entertainment and dramas. India’s leading cable channel, with 50 million viewers a week.
  • Star One – Hindi action/thrillers, comedies and dramas. Recently launched.
  • Star News – 24-hour Hindi news channel. Reaches 20 million homes in Asia.
  • Star Vijay – Tamil entertainment. Reaches 8 million homes in Asia.

The HindiDirect package includes Star Plus, Star One and Star News, and is available for $29.99 per month. Star Vijay is offered in the TamilDirect package, which will cost $14.99 per month. A cricket sports package is also on the plate for $199.

Despite numerous requests, Star After Dark and Star Spice will not be offered (or even conceived). One day, my friends, one day…

Variety/Yahoo!: DirecTV Beams Up 4 Indian Channels
Business Wire/Yahoo!: DirecTV Expands International Programming Platform to Include Star Indian Channels and International Cricket
StarTV: Official Site
DirecTV: Official Site

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One More Dream for Chatwal

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SM’s favorite Page Sixer, hotelier and actor Vikram Chatwal, is celebrating the opening of his newest destination with a “star-studded” bash tomorrow night.

Despite Chatwal’s busy social life, and a tussle with celebrity photographer Dave LaChappelle, “Dream NY” will open its doors as scheduled. No word yet on the status of invitations to the opening party for east coast Mutineers.

The hotel boasts “a hip, futuristic fantasy of mirrored vaulted ceilings, columns crowned by blown glass, a glass elevator and a whimsically striped lounge.” The rooms are equipped with iPods and plasma TV’s, which should make watching hotel porn a truly memorable experience. If you’re interested, rates for this weekend range from $309 to $789 a night.

For those of us on the other side of the country, we may soon have our own Dream to reckon with. Chatwal’s Hollywood flack, Eileen Koch, released a press release yesterday announcing her client’s interest in opening up “Dream LA” on the city’s Sunset Strip.

* * * A Special Message for Vikram Chatwal * * *

Mr. Chatwal, when such a hotel opens, I (and possibly fellow Angelino, Abhi) would love to join the west coast division of your party-hoppin’ crew. I haven’t hooked up with a supermodel since…well, since forever, so this could be just the opportunity I’ve needed. I eagerly await your response.

* * * End Special Message for Vikram Chatwal * * *

Included in the press release was news that Chatwal has landed a role in the independent film, “Hope and a Little Sugar,” which is scheduled to commence shooting in a couple of weeks. He was last seen in the short film, “One Dollar Curry.”

Business Wire: Hotelier Vikram Chatwal Scouts Location for New Hotel on the West Coast
 Sepia Mutiny: On the Trail of Vikram Chatwal…

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“Veer-Zaara” Storms U.S. With Impressive Opening Weekend

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veerzaara300x250.jpg“Veer-Zaara” made a strong debut last weekend, opening on more North American screens than any previous Bollywood release and finishing 15th among all films at the domestic box office.

Starring the ever-popular Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta, “Veer-Zaara” took in an estimated $903,010 during the four-day period beginning on Nov. 11. Its per-screen average of $10,261 was among the highest of the weekend, bested by only two other films in the top 25.

Shiraz Jivani of Naz8 Cinemas told the San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News that he expects the three-hour film to break box office records for Bollywood releases in the U.S.

“We have it, and we’re going to be playing it around the clock, 24 hours a day,” Jivani told the newspaper. His chain of Calif.-based theaters expects to collect $1.2 million over the film’s six-week run. The final tally will receive a bump from ticket prices that were increased just for the film.

No word yet on how pirated copies of “Veer-Zaara” fared at unscrupulous video rental shops, as such businesses are only required to report their earnings to hell’s despotic overlords.

Box Office Mojo: Gross Tracking for “Veer-Zaara”
San Jose Mercury News: High Hopes for Bollywood Musical (Registration Required)
The Chief Report: Review of “Veer-Zaara”
Naz8 Cinemas: Official Site
“Veer-Zaara”: Official Site

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Campaign Yields South Asian Bone Marrow Transplant Donor

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piaAwal270x130.jpgPia Awal’s search for a bone marrow transplant donor produced a match last week, and she will undergo the procedure later this month at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Awal, who has leukemia, inspired family and friends to launch a nationwide search for a match, which ultimately led to the addition of 12,442 profiles to the country’s bone marrow registry.

The online portion of their campaign was truly impressive. I recall receiving numerous e-mails about Awal’s plight from South Asians and non-South Asians alike. The grueling ordeal was also documented on the web by Awal and her fiance, Tim Dutta.

USA Today/AP: Bone Marrow Found for Woman Seeking South Asian Donors
Official Site: MatchPia.org
Nirali Magazine: Hoping for a Match

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Apu Nahasapeemapetiqueer?

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simpsonWagers.jpgThe Atlantic Monthly has a small piece this month about wagering on the January outing of a character on the Simpsons (subscription required). An Ireland-based betting site offered odds on the identity of the closet-dweller, but halted plays when large amounts of money started floating toward Marge Simpson’s sister, Patty.

Resident Indian-American Apu Nahasapeemapetilon was among the possibilities, because the “Kwik-E-Mart owner spends long hours away from his wife and children.” Still, he’s considered a long-shot, with 14 other characters deemed better choices.

On a related note, White House officials recently confirmed that any amendment banning gay marriage will extend to cartoon characters and muppet-lookin’ muthaf—-s.

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Photos From the IAAC Film Festival

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iaac250x155.jpgHollywood Masala has a pair of photo journals documenting the recently completed Fourth Annual IAAC Film Festival in New York. The photos were taken by writer-director-actor Nikhil Kamkolkar, whose feature film Indian Cowboy screened during the four-day festival. His shots include the opening night gala, which honored Shabana Azmi, Mira Nair, Salman Rushdie and Ismail Merchant for their support of South Asian artists.

Photo Journals:
Opening Night Gala – 9 photos
Various Festival – 13 photos

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Another One Bites the Dust

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anishShroff300x300.jpg This fall’s once-promising crop of South Asian reality show contestants has lost another prominent member. SportsCenter-hopeful Anish Shroff failed to advance to ESPN Dream Job’s final round after losing a deciding vote among the viewing public.

Check out his concession speech (Video – Windows Media), where a disappointed Shroff employs some of the very same cliches favored by most athletes. According to the episode recap, Shroff will return “to basic training at Syracuse,” and probably develop a newfound allegiance to Fox Sports.

Update: Badmash offers the networks an incentive to put more South Asians on the air.

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