Poorna Jagannathan’s Nirbhaya: The Play

When I spotted actress, model and producer Poorna Jagannathan (who played the kick-ass and worldly journo in Delhi Belly) at the opening night of the Indo-American Arts Council‘s NYIFF on May 1st, 2013, I asked her what else she had coming up.  In addition to her role in Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani, she told me  […]

Falu on Foras Road

  When we chatted briefly at the opening night of the IAAC‘s 2013 New York Indian Film Festival – in addition to discussing her wonderful turns in not one role but two in last December’s Bumbug Musical (she played Mrs, Scroogewala and also Cratcheeta) – the vivacious singer Falu was clearly excited about her latest […]

Opening tonight: Hard Times

Am very excited and curious to see (and hear) the musical drama Hard Times, which opens tonight at The Cell theater on West 23rd Street in New York. It’s set in the Five Points area of Manhattan in July 1863.  The location will ring a bell if you’ve seen Gangs of New York  or are […]

For Zohra-ji on her 100th birthday

This is how I first came to know of her: She was Lady Lili Chatterjee of the MacGregor house in The Jewel in the Crown, the wonderful Granada TV serial adaptation of Paul Scott’s Raj Quartet.  In that role, Zohra Sehgal was elegant and knowing, the very person you would want to live with on […]

James X arrives in New York

The last time I was at the little theater at 45 Bleecker was to see Colin Quinn doing Long Story Short, his funny retelling of the history of man and all his weaknesses and  imperfections, before it shifted to Broadway. Last night, I was there for the preview of a drama – James X – […]