Sunday, July 17, 2005

weekend self suicide

stop stop...stop ... STOP
i've been here for 5 years and except for a really insignificant incident at a grocery store the first day i stepped here ,culture shock was just a term i heard in the international services office. i didnt flinch one bit when i faced shelf upon shelf of different kinds of cereal and quickly picked out the cheapest one without confusion.i thought i was immune to the phenomenon. until today. my culture , traditions and values were jolted right out of the comfy sofas and swimming pools they were lounging in and were treated to about 50 million volts of the most shocking combination of visual and auditory sensations. there they were. ash and sonali kulkarni stepping out of a shop in what i presume is one of those bylane bazaars in amritsar. one where indian culture is displayed in all its colorful splendor on store fronts , available in kilo and meter measures for british directors to buy and then shock endlessly. it looks like any normal indian market till ash and sonia kulkarni burst into some of the worst english lyrics set to an indian tune by that gifted music director anu malik. and thats when i heard a huge thud inside my head and looking inside found culture lying shocked on its side near its couch and tradition pulling its hair in despair was running circles around it.

as i continue seeing bride and prejudice, i keep repeating to myself that this must be a satire. surely gurinder chaddha didnt shoot a english video of ash near the golden temple. i can't make out some of the genres that were cut up and pasted together to make this frankenstein creation. dialogs often acquire a victorian accent (ok ok maybe thats just english and my ears are blocked) with people asking permission to introduce their family. i shouldnt carp abt it so much i guess cos the movie has been funny in parts , especially the part where this indian dude who has struck gold in amrika comes back to seek the hand of ash. hey alexis bledel just entered the movie. you go GILMORE GIRL. and a mariachi band has just started singing in english in a hindi tune. stop stop...STOP...STOP..no wait let me watch the movie..maybe i'll spot anu malik playing a harp in the snow, singing "let it snow,let it snow". ok i stop here. i have to go finish my sambar rice and appalam before the appalam loses its crispness.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanks much.

i was wondering if i should subject myself to an ash movie, braving it ONLY because it is supposedly "loosely drawn" from my favorite classic, but perhaps i wont now.

more importantly: soaked applaam is definitely tastier. you should try it sometime.

Anonymous said...

Good one, Obi

Anonymous said...

True. True.

Ms.V said...

They are airing it over here this week on Star Movies..thanks for the warning..I might just continue watching cartoon network and luke's after hours on [V]..:D

catcharun said...

@anon: i lied..it wasnt appalam..it was lays .. ridged

@maya : i wasnt suggesting not to watch it was i ??

@darth : i assume u r calling me obi..if so thanks..else i'll just bury my head in the sand

@V : does cartoon network show adult swim in india..it used to be my favorite show till i swapped cable tv for dsl..i miss birdman


all of you should try the other "loosely inspired from the same classic" tamil movie that came ages back called 'Kandukondein Kandukondein'. it has a spectacular score and the cinematography is quite awesome. curiously enough there is something abt ash that made directors pick her twice to play the same character. but the kandukondein character was way better. no warnings. in fact i recommend the movie.its jolly good fun.i'm going to see the songs once more before i return the dvd..

*hums 'take me to love'
full lyrics here : http://www.poplyrics.net/waiguo/soundtrack/brideandprejudice/003.htm
imagine that in a hindi tune..HA

Anonymous said...

KK was adapted from Sense and Sensibility.

This I presume is from Pride and Prejudice.

Sorry abt the nitpicking

Maya

catcharun said...

i checked..u r right..i am wrong

but in my defense i havent read either classic..i just jumped to the conclusion cos the plots (of the movies) seemed remarkably similar..does that mean the books are similar too?

Anonymous said...

The plots are alway similar, Obi.

Anonymous said...

Next thought...

catcharun said...

@darth : darth u speak like r2d2..i can hear u but cant make out what u r saying..any chance of a holographic message that i can understand?

@anon : huh? what was that abt thought?

Anonymous said...

The plots are not similar but same theme- love and life in the victorian times

It's just that I am a Austen fan............

Ms.V said...

Nope. No birdman these days. I haven't watched that cartoon for a long time. Now the days are spent with Noddy and Bob the Builder. It is quite depressing that they cannot get Sponge Bob Square Pants on..blat..I loved the Squid..And we don't get Nickelodeon either. Here basically it's Spiderman/XMen/Pokemon and such. Loved Johnny Quest. They figured I just loved it too much. So they simply went *snip snip* :*(
PS: I watched KK. The movie was oooooooook. The songs, well, it was by Rahman ayez. But not his best.

catcharun said...

@maya : if u read both u probably know better..

@V : i downloaded the JQ theme song a long time back. been a fan since the earlier pre-virtual reality days..the yeti episode is one of my favs. i'm surprised they are still showing them..are they new episodes or is it still reruns..never seen spongebob
i'm a rahman fan so i like most of what he did.i meant the music in kk was better than anu malik's inspirations

Ms.V said...

Yup..been a fan of JQ as well..they have stopped showing those..re-runs as well..the yeti episode was really cool..The two most creative things in the world..cartoons and music..respect anyone who enjoys them..
You should try watching sponge bob..hilarious..
Yeah, my brother and I were like the biggest ever AR fans..he used to buy every single cassette the day they came out..well cassettes were the in-thing back then..then we both shifted to Brit Alternative..but, he's the only musician in India we love..and gotta hand it to him for doing it so consistently, so beautifully! :D

Anonymous said...

In time, everyone knows better.

Anonymous said...

Red herrings galore!

Rajani said...

potato chips and sambar rice is amazing comfort food...with or without a good or bad movie that is like or unlike a good or bad book....wasn't that the point ;)

Anonymous said...

If only everyone knew the point of it all; bare breast and all.

Tabula_Rasa said...

Dropped by..

Anonymous said...

Caught the flick on Star Movies last night. Seems more like it adapted from Hans Christian Anderson than Jane Austen.
And the lyrics- they cracked me up