Saturday, September 24, 2005

Konkona Chandramouli?

Disclaimer: This is a vain-as-hell post. Read at your own risk!

"Madame, you know Konkona Sen?...You know, you look just like her!"

That was just a smooth talking linking rd. shop keeper trying to sell me another pair of shoes but that isn't the first time people have spoken of the similarity between me and Konkona Sen. I can never quite tell if I resemble a celebrity or anybody else for that matter but this is one association I'm quite proud of. The reason being, I respect Konkona Sen as a performer and I'm truly glad she hasn't succumbed to Bollywood's sleazy charms, just yet. She has chosen challenging roles and essayed them with fluid ease. She's proven that you don't have to be drop dead gorgeous to create a telling impact on your audience. You simply need to act. Something that most other Bollywood actresses have long forgotten. Keep it coming, Mrs.Iyer...In your honour, I bought the green pair too! :)

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Another One Bites the Dust.

First up, apologies to everybody. I've just dusted the virtual cobwebs off my blog, courtesy the "no time, no internet" phase in Mumbai. I've taken a vow to spend more time connecting with myself and people I love, so like it or not... you're stuck in my head again!

Last Sunday, a few friends from XIC and I were part of the studio audience for a talkshow under CNN's "Eye on India" series. This was a discussion on the Indo-Pak peace dialogue and the panel included eminent guests like Shabana Azmi, Imran Khan, Humayun Khan(?), Nusli Wadia, Praful Patel and a Pakistani industrialist whose name i cannot remember.

At the outset, one hour is much too little time to hope for the debate to be constructive leave alone conclusive. Just when the passions seemed to simmer, the curtains were drawn. I'm leaving out the details of the show because it was nothing you haven't heard before. The 'K' word was oft repeated, no surprises there. Shabana Azmi couldn't stop gushing on Veer Zaara and future collaborative film productions paving the path to peace. Imran Khan looked supremely uncomfortable on those little bar stoolesque chairs and he would have been more entertaining if he was throwing darts at a picture of the president. Mr. Mush that is! If any of you are thinking, why did you brave the grime of Lower Parel and make your way to studios on a lazy Sunday evening, it beat watching the other Emran in Aashiq Banaya Aapne on a pirated cable channel.

At this juncture, I'd like to proudly note that my interaction with several Pakistanis in the virtual world has been far more fulfilling than a rehearsed discussion of contentious issues where the distinction between right and wrong has long been blurred.