Years ago, a friend turned me on to Norwegian jazz saxophonist Jan Garbarek and the album he made with Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ragas and Sagas. That was probably the last time I thought about anything having to do with Pakistani classical music, instruments or musicians and jazz, until I caught sight of the Song […]
Category: Documentary
Malala Lighting the Candle of Knowledge
It was almost three years ago to the day (October 9, 2012) that teenagers Malala Yousafzai, Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz were shot by the Taliban while they sat in their school bus in the Swat Valley. Those men targeted Malala because she was, already, at her young age, an outspoken champion of girls’ rights […]
Don’t miss Meet the Patels
For two years, actor and comedian Ravi Patel (Scrubs, Transformers, and now, Grandfathered with John Stamos) had a Secret White Girlfriend named Audrey. The concept of SWG (or SWB) may be familiar to people who’ve been in “mixed” or multicultural relationships: one person of the pair is too scared or not committed enough to dare […]
Alexandra Eaton & Arjun Mathur talking about Bombay Movie
At NYIFF last month, following the screening of Alexandra Eaton’s documentary Bombay Movie, there was a Q & A with her and actor Arjun Mathur, one of the stars of Barah Aana, the making of which is at the center of Bombay Movie. Q: How did you come to make this film? Alex Eaton: I […]
Bombay Movie: Maybe it is a Bollywood country
For some people who love movies, it’s enough to lose themselves in the story, the visuals, the music, the talent (or beauty) of the actors, or perhaps the action and stunt sequences. But for others of us, there’s also a searing curiosity to know more: who came up with the idea to shoot a scene […]