ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Midnight\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Children<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, M. Night\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Children<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of two brave girls who delete a movie script on their father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s computer, saving the world from another disaster.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Wow, Salman is amazing. Give the man a Nobel already! What other books do you like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really love Jhumpa Lahiri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s first book Interpreter of My Laddoos<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Interpreter of Maladies<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Interpreter of My Laddoos<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of a woman named Anjali who owns an Indian restaurant in New York and tries to win the attention of a handsome IT specialist by giving him two free laddoos after every meal. She keeps wondering if he will get the message.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jhumpa is fantastic. Where does she get her ideas?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fabulous. I also like her latest book: Unaccustomed Girth<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Unaccustomed Earth<\/a><\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Unaccustomed Girth<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of a skinny lad from Kolkata named Gopal who comes to America to study at Boston University and falls in love with the all-you-can-eat buffet.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Another winner from Jhumpa! What other books do you like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009dVARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, I really like Chetan Bhagat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Five Pint Someone \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what not to do at MIT<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Five Point Someone<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what not to do at IIT<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Five Pint Someone<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of an Indian student named Hari who miraculously gets into MIT, then finds himself hanging out at the local bar with his friends Alok and Ryan — and the professor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s daughter, Neha — downing at least five pints a night.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Another literary classic from Chetan! What else do you like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, I absolutely love V.S. Naipaul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Half a Wife<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Half a Life<\/a><\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Half a Wife<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of Sir Vidia, the greatest writer in the history of the world, and his mistress, Margaret. At times, he actually thinks he is married to her. A certain part of her, anyway.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That story sounds familiar. What about movies? Which ones are your favorites?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, I really like the movie Scumbag Millionaire<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Slumdog Millionaire<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Scumbag Millionaire<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of Mahender and Varsha<\/a>, a New York couple who make millions in the perfume industry, but can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help saving a few bucks by enslaving their domestic workers.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I bet Om Puri plays the role of Mahender. What else do you like?<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I loved Mamma M.I.A<\/em>. And not just for the music.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Mamma Mia<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Mamma M.I.A.<\/em> It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of a popular singer named Mathangi who gets engaged and has a baby, then tries to keep her career from plummeting like a paper plane<\/a>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen that movie before. What else do you like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One of my favorite movies of all time is the comedy When Hari Met Sari<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean When Harry Met Sally<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, When Hari Met Sari<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of a man named Hari who loves the beautiful silk saris his wife, Anu, wears. Then one day, while she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shopping at the mall, he tries one on himself. And his life is never the same again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Deepa Mehta movie, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure. What else do you like?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I really love The Chronicles of Sania<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n ME: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean The Chronicles of Narnia<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, The Chronicles of Sania<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of a tennis star from Hyderabad who makes tons of money through endorsements and caps her career by becoming the first Indian tennis player to win a starring role in a Bollywood movie.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n Me: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I love sports movies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah, me too. In fact, one of my all-time favorites is a movie called Death Vish<\/em>.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n Me: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you mean Death Wish<\/em>? I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a Charles Bronson movie.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n\n VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No, Death Vish<\/em>. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the story of an Indian chess player named Vishwanathan who beats all the Russians, Ukrainians and anyone else who has a Death Vish.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was chatting with a friend \u00e2\u20ac\u201c- let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s call him Varun \u00e2\u20ac\u201c- about books and movies. Varun considers himself an expert on almost everything. So I asked him to name his favorite books and movies. VARUN: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well, one of my … Continue reading