Warped genius! Sir Vidia’s Shadow (Paul Theroux)

I am more of a fiction reader – murder mysteries, historical romances, science fiction, fantasy and such.  But this book came highly recommended so I began to read what turned out to be part biography, part homage, part autobiography, detailing a friendship between two writing geniuses that spanned several decades and continents.  Paul Theroux (The Great Indian Railway Bazaar, The Patagonia Express, The Mosquito Coast to name a few) was a struggling wannabe writer who was earning his living as lecturer in English at Makarere University in Kampala, Uganda when he first met V. S. Naipaul. 

The National Awards – another controversy

Why was Aamir Khan’s production that was India’s Oscar entry not entered for the National awards?

Read some details below and at http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2011/may/240511-Aamir-Khan-Anusha-Rizvi-Peepli-Live-National-Awards-Oscars.htm

From the nominations for the National awards

There’s more than that meets the eye as far as Peepli [Live]’s exclusion from the National Awards is concerned.

When the awards were announced, it seemed like the country’s official entry to the Oscars was specifically ignored. Digging around, we found the film wasn’t even entered for the nominations!

Aamir Khan and Anusha Rizvi on the sets of Peepli [Live]

Could it have been an oversight (highly unlikely, considering how particular Aamir Khan is) or did he decide to ban the National Awards (like he does other popular awards)?

The film’s director Anusha Rizvi says she is clueless why the film was not entered. “I heard it, too. And I have absolutely no idea why the film wasn’t entered.

I want to clarify that the directorate and the jury members of the National Awards have been unfairly targetted.”

But wasn’t Anusha the one who did not want to be involved in promoting Peepli for the Oscars race not long ago?

Two divas born a day apart – Waheeda and Madhuri

Sensationally beautiful in a most Indian way, trained in classic Indian dance, and their on screen presence full of abhinaya that only a trained dancer can have, Waheeda and Madhuri are two of a kind.

The Last Days of Disco

Game of Thrones – Episode 4

Remembering Kaifi Azmi on his death anniversary

At the age of 12 Kaifi penned a couplet, and then to convince his father he really write it, he had to pen a whole ghazal. Here it is sung by none other than Begum Akhtar:

Sartre’s No Exit – Hell is other people!

11 Weeks – the Kashmir we can all dream of?

http://scienceandfilm.org/videoplayer/videoplayer.swf?vid=302&vproject=sloan&vsection=student_films&autoPlayMovie=false

Game of Thrones – the wall, the rise of a female warrior and more!

Episode 3 – crackling good and packed full of events happening around the Starks, the Lannisters, the Targaryens, and Jon Snow. The starks reunite briefly as Caitlin goes to King’s Landing and tells Ned that the dagger used to attempt Bran’s murder belonged to Tyrion Lannister. Bran Stark wakes up but remembers nothing. Arya Stark begins to learn swordplay and we just know she will be a warrior to contend with soon.