Another Khan

I promise that not every male actor in Bollywood is a Khan, (although I won't be writing about Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan, Arbaaz Khan, and Sohail Khan), but Saif Ali Khan is worth mentioning. He's the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan and, thus, learned about media scrutiny at an early age--of course his actions didn't help alleviate media interest of his life. But Saif has come a long way from his spoiled brat/bad boy image and has become one of the most recognized faces in the world's biggest film industry.



His early career is full of unmemorable performances in unmemorable films with we-wish-we-could-forget mullets (the exceptions are the few films he did with Kajol, of course). But with the release of Dil Chahta Hai, Saif Ali Khan's career was transformed, winning a Filmfare Award for Best Comedian(ne). And funny is what SAK does best. I've been looking for the Hollywood equivalent to SAK, but I can't find one. His comedic timing is superb; his slapstick isn't overdone or stupid; he's goofy, adorable, imperfect, and hot; his characters are usually good boys who think they're bad boys; he's sensitive and sympathetic. He also does his dramatic roles well. Maybe he's like Jimmy Stewart, but SAK isn't that awkward. Maybe he's a bit like Cary Grant, but SAK isn't that smooth. Maybe Hugh Grant, but SAK isn't that obnoxious.

Guys like to watch SAK because his characters are everymen. Girls love him because it's hard not to be sucked in by his quirky charm. But really, SAK has done well for himself considering he has a funny voice, a nose bigger than Shah Rukh Khan's, and is one of the worst dancers in Bollywood (please refer to Kal Ho Naa Ho's "Maahi Ve"). Nonetheless, when I watch a SAK film, I know his performance won't disappoint me, and usually I'll have had a few good laughs along the way.

My favorite Saif Ali Khan films:
Yeh Dillagi (1994)--with Kajol and Akshay Kumar
Hamesha (1997)--with Kajol
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)--with Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, Akshaye Khanna, and Sonali Kulkarni
Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)--with Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan
Hum Tum (2004)--with Rani Mukherjee
Parineeta (2005)--with Vidya Balan and Sanjay Dutt
Salaam Namaste (2005)--with Preity Zinta

Next up: Preity Zinta

bureaucracy

I'm getting a little tired of not knowing where or if I'll be going into the PC, as nothing's official yet. My recruiter, who no longer works for PC, told me I wouldn't know anything definite until September at the earliest to November at the latest. No big deal. But I have a letter telling me I've been cleared by one office, while my online status is still on hold with that department. A few weeks ago I called a placement officer just to make sure that my file wasn't sitting unattended and she said she'd leave a note for the guy in charge of my program and he'd get back to me in 1-2 weeks. He never called. And it's nearly the end of September.

So I today I called a recruiter to see what s/he thought I should do--call Office A or Office B or just wait. Normally I wouldn't be this impatient with something like this, but if for whatever reason this doesn't work out, I'd like to apply for doctorate programs, so I don't spend another year of my life making Grande Non-Fat No-Whip White Mochas. Well, the recruiter (I never did get her name) basically chewed me out and didn't want to understand that I wasn't frustrated because I hadn't been placed/"invited"; rather, I wanted some confirmation that my file wasn't lost somewhere in the office mail room and was in process in some way. She kept telling me that I should use this as a lesson in patience and understand that I'll have fewer resources when I'm serving abroad. What does that even mean? She called my actions (in calling the placement officer) "infuriating" and kept asking me why I called that office and why I didn't call the other office. When I tried to explain myself, I was interrupting her: "How am I going to help you if you aren't listening to what I'm saying?" I wanted to ask her the same question: How are you going to help me if you're not listening to what I'm asking? I was frustrated to the point of tears, and I still don't know if I should be pro active in inquiring why I have a letter telling me one thing and my online application status saying another (isn't fixing problems/figuring out solutions part of what it takes to be a PCV?) or if I should just let everything happen as it will and trust that they know what's what (because patience is necessary for a PCV).

As for the recruiter, I'll take your advice and tweak it some. My conversation with you made me feel about two inches tall. I don't know that I've ever been treated so badly, rudely, and unprofessionally. So I will use our conversation to help toughen my skin a bit and prepare me for PC service.

Russian

I'm currently struggling through Russian 1. I can't spell. I can't pronounce words properly. I can't remember what the little letter that looks like a "b" does to the consonants preceding or immediately following it. And I can't stand that it feels like I'm sitting in a high school class (there are actually people who answer their phones in the middle of class--wtf?). Nonetheless, I go twice a week and learn about the seven-letter exception and try to remember that "n" is really "p" and "p" is actually "r."

"The Thinking Man's Dream Date"

Tabu is one of the most enigmatic personalities in Bollywood. She's often called one of the best actresses in the industry, winning numerous awards for her performances, and yet she's not often talked about. Perhaps it's because she won't allow herself to be pigeon holed as a certain kind of actress--she easily floats between commercial and non commercial films. She also generally avoids scandal, though she was present with Salman Khan and others when the endangered black buck was shot (she wasn't directly involved in the incident). And though she perfers spending time with friends and family uninvolved in the industry, she's not a recluse. She appears at movie premieres and other industry functions.

Amazing acting ability runs in Tabu's family. She is the niece of Shabana Azmi, one of the most respected actresses in India. And in watching a Tabu film, you can expect to see a solid performance from the young star--even if the film is a total disaster. A poster at Bollywhat.com said of Tabu: "I'd watch anything with Tabu. She could read the phone book and I'd be fascinated by her screen presence (OK, if it were Tabu, the phone book would drop on her head, then riccochet off her arms, killing her young baby, at which point, stunned and horrified she would open the phone book and read in a deadpan voice the list of names...personifying the bleakness and horror of an impersonal world in which people are reduced to names...)." Though the poster jests about the serious nature of many of her roles, Tabu can take any role and be convincing.

Tabu's actually an actress for all of India. She's done films in Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, and will be starring in Mira Nair's upcoming The Namesake, where she will speak English and Bengali. Oh, she also speaks Spanish. She's an actress with asperations to become a director and producer. She also writes poetry. She went to university to become a dentist, but left early when she was offered a chance to do films.

Tabu is starring in my two most anticipated films of 2006--Mira Nair's The Namesake, with Irfan Khan (with whom she starred in Maqbool, and Indian version of Macbeth) and Kal Penn (Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle) and Kunal Kohli's Fanaa, with Aamir Khan and Kajol (putting my three favorite Indian actors onscreen together!).

My favorite Tabu films:
Macchis (1996)--with Chandrachur Singh
Thakshak (1999)--with Ajay Devgan
Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000)--with Ajith, Aishwarya Rai, and Mammootty
Chandni Bar (2001)--with Atul Kulkarni
Filhaal (2002)--with Sushmita Sen and Sanjay Suri

Up next: Saif Ali Khan

Self Realization, Part 2

I didn't know the stakes were so high.

The Perfectionist

The Khan trinity rounds off with Aamir Khan, who many people believe is the best actor in India today. One of the most powerful people in the industry, Aamir Khan is notorious for scrutinizing scripts before he agrees to do a film, or demanding perfection from his co-stars and directors. His anal tendencies haven't made him any friends in the industry, but his work speaks for itself. Lagaan, a film he both produced and starred in, was the first film from India in several years to be nominated for an Oscar in 2002 for Best Foreign Film.

What I love about Aamir Khan is that he believes in the potential of Indian cinema without compromising the trademarks of Indian cinema--the masala elements. He's not trying to improve Bollywood by distancing himself from it. Instead, he works within the masala formula to improve Bollywood productions. So while many actors work on multiple films simultaneously, Aamir works one at a time. While most films rely on dubbing the audio post production, Aamir insisted on in synch sound before others began to use it. Love him or hate him, he's fantastic at what he does, and his work makes the industry better.

Lagaan was my first Bollywood film, and I've been a fan of his since. And Aamir is back from a three-year hiatus, which makes me excited. And if the Bollywood gods weren't smiling on me enough, he is starring in Fanaa (2006) alongside my favorite actress, Kajol, who will be making her reappearance in Bollywood with this film, and Tabu (more about her in my next Bollywood blog). SRK might be the King of Bollywood, but Aamir Khan's work will live longer.

My favorite Aamir films:
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1998)--with Juhi Chawla
Ishq (1997)--with Juhi Chawla, Ajay Devgan, and Kajol
Earth (1998)--with Nandita Das
Lagaan (2001)--with Gracy Singh
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)--with Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna

Up Next: Tabu

Ohio

Reasons why it's tolerable to live in Ohio:
1. Jungle Jim's. To people who've never been there it's merely a grocery store. For me, it was a sanctuary in the middle of a culinary wasteland. I'm going to miss the monnerail, the giant cheese, beer from places I've never heard of, the terrible Robin Hood show, and the Jungle Jim's movie (which I never did see).
2. Thunderstorms. Don't get too many of those in SoCal. I could sit and watch them for hours.
3. Fireflies, or are they Lightning Bugs?
4. The Smokin' Ox. My favorite restaurant in Oxford. Garrett and Mary are awesome.
5. Indian Buffet. I realize I can get better Indian food here, but the impulsive trips to tri county in the middle of the week can't be replaced. Plus, I was just getting to know the Punjabi men who run the place.
6. The Cicada Plague. How lucky of me to have experienced this 1/17 year phenomenon!
7. Snow!
8. Parties at Tom and Blade's
9. The annual Super Bowl Party. Does anyone else think it's funny that a group of English graduate students gather around to watch the biggest sporting event of the year on a small TV with snowy reception?
10. Saturday a.m. basketball with the boys and Rebecca
11. Cornhole
12. Corn mazes
13. Lane Public Library
14. Half-Price Books
15. The swimming pool at the Rec. Center.
16. Watching the sunrise over Bachelor Hall--one of the pleasures of teaching at 8:00 am
17. Canasta
18. Tuesday night dinners
19. A Susan Morgan seminar
20. Bachelor 362

Of course, my friends made my experience in Ohio the most memorable. Linsey, Kari, Shiloh and Justin, Tom and Jen, Blade and Julie, Aaron, Jennifer, Kim, Carmen, Danielle, Darren, Michele, Erin, Cedric, Abbey, Steve, Renee, Jay and Heather, Ted, Daisy, Tonya, Dianne, Susan, Debbie, Sarah, Nate, and Canaan, Joel and Brandi, Butch and Amy, Ben, Hannah, and Morgan, Barb, Linden and Paulette, Darrell and Donna, Daralee, Harry and Sueann, Bill and Lois, Paige, Taylor, Russell, Steve and Sheila, Don and Darlene, Skip (WD) and Marge, Jerry and Darlene, the Dazets: Paul, Stacey, Rebecca, and Jacob, Joel and Brandi, Stephanie, Annie P., Kelly, Joel, Chris, Kristen, the Apple Dumpling Gang: Amy, Cody, and Katie, Leslie, and my family-away-from-my-family: Linsey, Tommie Mommie, Larry, and Mackie.

I certainly didn't leave for greener pastures. California is mostly brown right now. I'm really going to miss it and all of you who gave me a place to be.