Namesake

I watched the Namesake this past weekend. I have to say Mira Nair is freakin awesome! Since she is directing 'Shantaram' there is some hope for the movie!

Every bombayite that has read the book - hates it for the fact that it seems illogical and the dates are seriously skewed. I'll have to read it to see what they are talking about - but mostly I have heard these reviews from well read ppl so I would believe them.

Anyways, back to the movie at hand - it is awesome. It really is. Tabu was, as usual, amazing and so was Kal Penn.

I have to say - I did not read the book - although my mum loved it so I guess I will give it a try.

I was reading the message boards on imdb and there was someone who asked the question why? As in ' why are all books coming out of 2nd gen asian* living abroad on the same sort of subject?' I kind of see what that person was asking. I am more interested in why are all the books dealing with the same subject so popular? Its not that other asian authors are not writing about anything else - its just its not as interesting as a heart wrenching story of an immigrant. Plus, it is easy to identify with it. I guess.

I am just waiting for a 'Catcher in Rye' or 'Pornographer's Poem' from an asian writer.

I guess in many ways being an asian writer is like being a brown actor. You get typecast into playing Appu or the guy running the grocery store. As a brown author, I guess it is relatively easy to get ppl to read your writing if it talks about those same immigrant stories as opposed to something different.


* Asian here means those from Asia. I hate the term South Asian as I was not asked when ppl decided on that term as the politically correct term to describe me. Personally, actually I prefer Indian, but thats a whole can of worms that will be opened some othertime.