The Mahatma would have been foxed. In a satyagraha that had Delhi
holding its breath, a young man climbed a tower near New Delhi Railway Station to protest
against his wife's alleged abduction by her family -- they're opposed to the match. Asfar
Jamal had earlier climbed the tower for a day last November. This time he took no
food for six days, but quit his post on January 22. "So far nothing's happened,"
he said. "Last time I filed a habeas corpus, now I've written to the chief justice.
Let's see what happens." But his beloved is nowhere in sight.
A Cool Break
If you must do a part-time job, this is the way to do
it. Dr Santwana Bordoloi is a paediatrician by profession; in her free
time, she's a movie director; and when she has a teensy weensy moment to spare, she draws
critical acclaim in Japan, wins the Special Jury Award at the just-concluded International
Film Festival of India, and prepares for a screening at the prestigious University of
California in LA. Bordoloi's debut film, Adajya, has run to full houses in Assam,
but for those who are capable of saying "Where's Assam?" here's the dope: she
took barely a month to make it, she's 48, runs a clinic back home in Guwahati, her hubby
is also a doctor, and they have two kids. Her film, however, is very much about grown-ups
-- about Brahmin widows, to be precise. How does she manage being two things at the same
time? "It just takes careful planning," she replies. "Besides, I'm a doctor
for 365 days a year, surely I'm allowed 30 days to be something different." Take
more, ma'am, take more.
Goodness Gracious, Ol' Chaps
Guess who's tickling the Brits these days? It's Meera
Syal, MBE (second from left, seen here with co-stars). Our girl in the UK --
scriptwriter of Gurinder Chadha's acclaimed film Bhaji on the Beach -- heads the
mainly Asian cast in the teleserial Goodness Gracious Me, that's got stiff upper
lips breaking into laughter in the UK. Currently on BBC2, it's a chance "to learn
about how one bit of Britain sees another", says executive producer Jon Plowman.
Read: an irreverent look at Asians. So GGM, which has won awards in its audio version on
BBC's Radio 4, has Indian families out there trying to be Brit by eating roast beef, roast
potatoes, even roast gravy; and the propah Coopers who're really Kapoors. You think that's
bad? Ever heard of the Delhi University student, Santosh? His amigos call him Sanchez.
O Boy! He's Got'Em
So
what if he was once voted one of the worst-dressed men in India? Bappi Lahiri has
Apache Indian and Boy George on his side. In his next
film, Love Story '98, the two singers make a guest appearance -- and croon -- as
themselves. "It's no big deal," says the tubby Bollywood man with a wave of his
be-ringed hand and a swish of his bejewelled neck, "I'm very popular in the
West." (Remember the link-up with the equally well-endowed Sam Fox?) Love Story
'98 is directed, scripted, has music and almost everything else by Bappida. So what
should we expect? More stuff like "When I see a pretty girl dancing at the disco/I
want my friends to khao, piyo, khisko ..." He actually sang that once! We
swear he did!
The Mahatma would have been foxed. In a satyagraha that had Delhi
holding its breath, a young man climbed a tower near New Delhi Railway Station to protest
against his wife's alleged abduction by her family -- they're opposed to the match. Asfar
Jamal had earlier climbed the tower for a day last November. This time he took no
food for six days, but quit his post on January 22. "So far nothing's happened,"
he said. "Last time I filed a habeas corpus, now I've written to the chief justice.
Let's see what happens." But his beloved is nowhere in sight. 
If you must do a part-time job, this is the way to do
it. Dr Santwana Bordoloi is a paediatrician by profession; in her free
time, she's a movie director; and when she has a teensy weensy moment to spare, she draws
critical acclaim in Japan, wins the Special Jury Award at the just-concluded International
Film Festival of India, and prepares for a screening at the prestigious University of
California in LA. Bordoloi's debut film, Adajya, has run to full houses in Assam,
but for those who are capable of saying "Where's Assam?" here's the dope: she
took barely a month to make it, she's 48, runs a clinic back home in Guwahati, her hubby
is also a doctor, and they have two kids. Her film, however, is very much about grown-ups
-- about Brahmin widows, to be precise. How does she manage being two things at the same
time? "It just takes careful planning," she replies. "Besides, I'm a doctor
for 365 days a year, surely I'm allowed 30 days to be something different." Take
more, ma'am, take more. 
Guess who's tickling the Brits these days? It's Meera
Syal, MBE (second from left, seen here with co-stars). Our girl in the UK --
scriptwriter of Gurinder Chadha's acclaimed film Bhaji on the Beach -- heads the
mainly Asian cast in the teleserial Goodness Gracious Me, that's got stiff upper
lips breaking into laughter in the UK. Currently on BBC2, it's a chance "to learn
about how one bit of Britain sees another", says executive producer Jon Plowman.
Read: an irreverent look at Asians. So GGM, which has won awards in its audio version on
BBC's Radio 4, has Indian families out there trying to be Brit by eating roast beef, roast
potatoes, even roast gravy; and the propah Coopers who're really Kapoors. You think that's
bad? Ever heard of the Delhi University student, Santosh? His amigos call him Sanchez. 
So
what if he was once voted one of the worst-dressed men in India? Bappi Lahiri has
Apache Indian and Boy George on his side. In his next
film, Love Story '98, the two singers make a guest appearance -- and croon -- as
themselves. "It's no big deal," says the tubby Bollywood man with a wave of his
be-ringed hand and a swish of his bejewelled neck, "I'm very popular in the
West." (Remember the link-up with the equally well-endowed Sam Fox?) Love Story
'98 is directed, scripted, has music and almost everything else by Bappida. So what
should we expect? More stuff like "When I see a pretty girl dancing at the disco/I
want my friends to khao, piyo, khisko ..." He actually sang that once! We
swear he did!
