A
Total Recap of the South Asian Film Festival
Meeting Parminder Nagra & watching Second Generation.
A synopsis of the films shown on Saturday and Sunday.
A Recap of (events that took place from 3-7:30 PM)
VIP Event with Parminder Nagra
Screening of Second Generation
Question and Answer with Parminder Nagra and the Aftermath
&
The Short Film “Goodness Ungracious Me”
(Shown on Sunday at 9PM at the Roxie Theatre)
Please check out ParminderOnline.com for a through review of “Second Generation” & the
question and answer portion that followed the movie.
VIP
Event with Parminder Nagra
Right before the VIP reception began, I was waiting outside the Castro
Theatre with ten other Parmaniacs (Parminder fans). All of a sudden,
I notice someone
familiar trying to enter the theater. It was Parminder Nagra, herself.
I know that out of the whole group…I was the first one to notice. In my mind,
I was like “Oh, my God…Oh, my God. It’s her in the flesh.” By
the time the whole group had noticed, Mindi had already gone up to the
mezzanine for the VIP reception. After waiting for another five minutes,
the people
at 3rdi allowed us to head on up to the mezzanine.
As a group, all the Parmaniacs decided to stick together as one group.
So, we waited for Parmi to finish up with her chat with some people. Then,
a
3rdi member
introduced us to Parminder. Parminder says to us, “I feel like I
know you guys already.” Very interesting…so I guess
it works both ways.
As a big group of about twelve people, we formed a circle with Mindi and
talked for about fifteen minutes. After some people talked about Parminder’s hair
and her “shoe size,” all the Parmaniacs introduced themselves
one by one.
As we were going around saying our names and what we do, Parminder seemed
genuinely interested in learning more about all of the Parmaniacs. Whoa!
That was definitely,
SO COOL.
After the Hi, my name is routine ended; everyone started to ask questions
left and right to Parminder. I only asked her one question: Why were you
in “Ella
Enchanted?” Basically, Parminder said that she had spent two weeks
in Dublin, Ireland taping the film. She did not like doing the singing
and dance
sequence
at the end of the movie. More importantly, Parmi did not like wearing that
Cinderella outfit while wearing a tiara. And, she had to be so nice and
happy-go-lucky with
the kids.
To be quite honest, the only thing that is not part of my
Parminder collection is “Ella Enchanted”. I already saw it in theaters, and I don’t
need to see it again. But, most importantly, Mindi is not even listed in the
movie credits on the back cover of the “Ella Enchanted” DVD.
She only appeared in the movie for about a total of five minutes. Well,
everyone makes mistakes in their lives.
She also talked about her “ER” schedule. From Monday-Thursday, an
episode of “ER” starts shooting from 6 AM to 11 PM. While on Fridays,
it all depends on how much of the script is needed to get done. So, it could
be a short take or another long shoot. By the way, the actors receive the “ER” episode
script, three days before the actual shoot, in which Parminder said “Is
no time at all to memorize a script.” In addition, Mindi uses the “Brad
Pitt technique” in order to memorize her lines. This technique consists
of repeating the lines over and over again.
Her co-stars at “ER” think that this technique is kind of strange
(for lack of a better term) because she uses an unorthodox approach to memorizing
her lines. I think that Parminder definitely earns all of her money by working
so hard on “ER.” According to Noah Wyle (actor on “ER”),
it takes hours just to shoot a scene that might only be a minute long on
the television broadcast.
Parminder’s character on “ER,” Neela, is supposed to be a smart
British-Indian girl who can blurt out medical jargon, very quickly and efficiently.
That’s a problem Parminder faces as an actress…How to say all
the medical jargon, so that it can sound right, without messing up.
During Thursday’s shoot, (the same day the episode entitled “Time
of Death” came out with guest star, Ray Lolita) Parminder mightily struggled
with the medical struggle. She said that “It wasn’t her day.” Parminder
has it tough, because her character has to be a ‘smarty pants’ as
it relates to the medical jargon.
Right, after talking to Parminder, as a group, we took dozens of pictures
with her. We took like twenty pictures in a two minute span. As a result,
all of
the pictures look differently as people took pictures from different angles
and different
points in time. As the Parmaniac group decided to go mingle and get a bite
to eat; I decided to listen in on another “circle group” conversation
with Parmi.
Continuing with the “ER” theme, Parminder wants the viewing audience
to think of her character, Neela, as a great person not just as an Indian person.
She wants people to feel for her character…just like any other character
on “ER.”
That’s why so many people loved Beckham. The audience felt for her character
going through trials and tribulations in order to play soccer. Being an Indian
girl should have little to no effect on how great Jess (Parminder’s
character in Beckham) really is.
A quote from ParminderOnLine, as stated by Ms. Nagra: "I see my career like
a Lara Croft game. I get to the next level and then I have to kick a bit harder,
collect a few little gems along the way in my backpack, and break on through.
I'm a one-woman revolution." She wants to break barriers in the film industry.
Parmi has already rejected so many movie scripts because they were “stereotypical
roles” for Indian women. Kind of like Bend It Like Beckham. She knows that
there’s not that many scripts out there non-stereotypical roles for
actresses of South Asian descent.
I agree with this statement. Not only do South Asian play
stereotypical roles, the rest of the minorities fit into this category.
As a Mexican,
all I see
in main-stream films are these macho tough guys that go out and just fight
each
other. THAT’S NOT ENTIRELY TRUE…BUT THAT’S THE WORLD
WE LIVE IN.
So, many people now think that they are experts of the South Asian culture
once they have seen a play or movie about South Asians. Parminder gets
irritated when
people say to her, “I have learned a lot about Indian culture by only watching
BILB.” In addition, Parminder gets irritated when people tell her that “it’s
fashionable (or cool) to be Indian” especially the case in England.
At this point in time she went on her “soap box” (my guess: going
on and on about a topic while at the same time going way off the topic near the
end of the ‘rant’) concerning herself and Indian culture. I don’t
think she wants to be remembered as that ‘Indian chick in the soccer movie.” I
believe that Parminder is a very strong, determined woman. She truly is a “one-woman
revolution.” I wish her the best of luck on finding that “right” role
in either a film or a theatre production that can help break boundaries
in the entertainment industry.
Right after that listening to her “insightfulness,” it was autograph
time. So, she signed two clippings, one from “Entertainment Weekly” and
the other from “TV Guide.” For all but one clip, she used my
sharpie to autograph some items. Then, I decided to take two pictures with
just Parminder
and me.
One problem, when I got the pictures developed that went
through one hour photo, the two pictures did not SHOW UP. I don’t know what went wrong…Oh
well, tis life.
Oh, I got Parminder a “gift.” So I asked her, do you want the
gift now or after the screening. She said after the screening.
Well, I made a big mistake. The mistake will be explained later on in this
synopsis.
Right after the pictures, I took some more pics with just the other ten
Parmaniacs in attendance at the mezzanine. After more group pictures and
only eating
a couple of cookies & those nifty cheese squares, we decided to take
our seats inside the movie theatre.
Screening of Second Generation
Before the film started, I sat in the front rows so I can use up all
my film in order to go to Walgreen’s and get the pics developed through one hour
photo. Right after the introduction of the film by one of the 3rdi directors,
I went to Walgreen’s and dropped off my roll of film. The pictures, with
a computer picture CD, would be ready at 6PM. So, “Second Generation” started
at 4:40 P.M.
To be honest, I think I was the first American to own
a copy of Second Generation. I just bought it on a whim from eBay. This
made
for TV movie
was shown in
England in September of 2003. I purchased and received the film in October.
However,
I didn’t realize I actually owned a copy until I saw the North
American premiere of “Second Generation” in April as part
of the San Francisco International Film Festival. I had already seen
the movie like 7 times already.
I knew what to expect. I was even singing a long with this Asian rapper
named Uzi… “That’s the way it do it man, that’s
the way we role it man, With an Asian vibe, vibe, vibe…We’re
comin’ alive,
live,live.”
When I got back from Walgreen’s, the Castro theatre was almost completely
dark except for the Exit signs and the actual projection of the movie. I
searched for my seat, in the special seating area for the sponsors. All of
a sudden,
I looked at the middle of the row and I found the other Parmaniacs. All of
a sudden,
I found Parminder Nagra seated at the end of the row I was sitting in.
I was stunned when I saw Parminder sitting in the sponsor/Parmaniac
row. I didn’t
think she was going to watch the movie, or even, sit down with us. THAT WAS SO
SWEET. I sat five seats away from her. During certain scenes in “Second
Generation,” I took a quick glance at Mindi to see her reaction. I think
it’s very interesting when a person watches his or her own work
especially in the entertainment industry.
Once the second part of the movie began, I decided to go to “the loo” (restroom)
and to pick up my photos from the VIP event at Walgreen’s.
Once I received my pictures, I could not find the two pictures between
Parminder and I. At first, I was kind of frustrated. However, I thought
I was going to
meet her after the q/a portion ended. (I was wrong, though). Once I arrived
back at the Castro Theatre, I looked for my seat. So, I kneeled down
at the end of
the row right beside Parminder. And, once she saw me, she moved back
a little bit so I could go back to my seat.
While seated, I enjoyed watching the rest of the movie for about forty
minutes or so. Once the movie ended, it was time for some question and
answer with Parminder
Nagra.
Question and Answer with Parminder Nagra and the Aftermath
Well, the audience had to wait a couple of minutes for Ms. Nagra to
take the stage at the Castro Theatre and answer some questions. A couple
of
minutes pass, and Parmi took the stage. She said she had to go to the “loo” (bathroom)
because the movie lasted a long time (138 minutes). Here are just a few answers
she gave during the brief q/a.
Parminder started to cringe once she saw herself do a couple of sex
scenes in
the movie.
When Mindi hears the phrase, “it’s so fashionable to be Indian,” she
gets somewhat irritated by it.
Parmi has been offered many stereotypical Indian roles by many different
producers and directors. She knows though that some other South Asian
actors are going
to take those stereotypical roles in order to gain some notoriety.
Once she read the script, Ms. Nagra turned them down. She has found
two ways to deal
with the
problem of bad scripts and stereotypical roles: She could just be angry
at
the filmmaking industry, or Parminder can work hard and try to play extraordinary,
non-stereotypical characters in film or in a theatre production
She really wants to break barriers of the South Asian
culture through some of her past work and through future roles as well.
In
general,
most minority
actors
have to play cliché roles that represent their culture and background.
What’s so funny to me is that Caucasian actors can play almost any character
that they want from any cultural background. For example, take the movie, “The
Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise. Now, I have not seen the movie…but,
why is “a white guy” playing the lead of an Asian combat film? THAT
MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. But, hey, that’s Hollywood for you.
After about a fifteen minute question and answer session, Parminder
started to proceed to the mezzanine level. I thought that she was going
to take
a quick
breather and come back down in order to get a ride back to her hotel.
Well, I was wrong.
Being a sports fanatic especially of baseball’s Oakland Athletics, I have
learned some techniques that help me to get some players’ autographs.
The event with Parminder exceeded my expectations, so I thought almost
anything could
be possible.
I waited, with “Zen-like” patience, for Parminder to come down from
the mezzanine. Instead, I later found out that she got out of the theatre through
the mezzanine level I order to take her “posse down to Tallura restaurant,” (according
to the “Examiner,” a wannabe British tabloid that’s given
out for free in San Francisco).
Oh well, I have no complaints. Parminder is not only
an exceptional actress, but more importantly, she’s a great human being. Parmi has a great sense
of humor, she’s aware of her environment, and Mindi is a very intelligent
person. . I give her my “best wishes” that she can have
much more future success in the entertainment industry.
The Short Film “Goodness
Ungracious Me”
(Shown on Sunday at 9PM at the Roxie Theatre)
I am reviewing this short film, in this section, because this short
film
Makes some connections to what Parminder Nagra said.
This is a twenty-five minute short film in which Parv Bancil, the narrator
and director of this film, explores the British Asian culture especially
in the entertainment
industry. Parv believes that many British people think that they
know Indian culture by watching Bollywood films and Indian theatre productions
such
as, “Bombay
Dreams.” Even, the sensational hit “Bend It like Beckham” was
a stereotypical Indian film.
I think that both Parminder Nagra and Parv Bancil
would agree that BILB is a stereotypical film. In addition, I think
both would
agree
that viewers
learn just a tad bit about Indian culture from that film. It’s
kind of an insult for Parminder, to hear people say that “they
learned everything there is to know about Indian culture just by
watching
BILB.” Stereotypes of Indians
exist in America, but it’s definitely worse in England. In
the U.K., most non British-Asians consider themselves experts on
the Indian culture
by watching
one film or one play.
Bollywood films are filled with Indian clichés coming from left and right.
In addition, there are two singers in Britain known as the “two Bollywood ‘it’ boys.” These
guys take advantage of their heritage in order to make a profit. By the way,
they betray their background as they act more like white Brits than people
of South Asian descent.
By the way, I could NEVER imagine Parminder Nagra doing a bollywood
film. Doing such a film, would go completely against what she believes
in (breaking
boundaries
in the entertainment industry).
This short film is a must own for all of the fans of Indian culture.
It makes you really think twice on why you actually are a fan of
certain things
or people
that are Indian.
A
Recap of the other Two Films Shown on Saturday
1 PM: “Jukti Takko Aaar Gappo” (Reason, Argument, and Story)
8:15 PM: “Main Hoon Na” (I’m Here, Don’t Be Afraid)
1 PM: “Jukti Takko Aaar Gappo” (Reason,
Argument, and Story)
This is a weird black and white picture taken using a “fish lens.” This
film is filmed in India by the British Film Institute. This film describes
the differences between Indian and Bengalis in India.
Basically, about 90% of the time, most of the characters
either smoked or drank some liquor such as whiskey. It seemed like
a fun shoot, if the actors actually drank real hard liquor. By the
way, I only watched an hour of this film as I was getting ready to
meet some Parmaniacs (Parminder Nagra fans) and Parminder, herself.
8:15 PM: “Main Hoon Na” (I’m
Here, Don’t Be Afraid)
This movie is filled with cliché after cliché of not only Indian
culture but of many popular many American movies. Here’s the premise
of the movie: a general has been assigned to take care of the commander’s
daughter from an assassination attempt from an Indian general who went AWOL
against the Pakistanis. Well, it’s not that simple. The movie is filled
with the most random people and random scenes ever.
“ Main Hoon Na” was the first ever Bollywood
film I had ever seen…Quite interesting to say the least.
One thing I noticed was the actresses. In order to be an actress in Bollywood,
the ladies have to be hot and be willing to show their midriff or they have
to be annoying fat ladies.
During one sequence, the main character (the undercover general) had a dream
sequence, with the drop-dead gorgeous Chemistry teacher, for about five minutes.
They singed and danced with each other in the desert, forest, and under some
luscious waterfalls. In this sequence, the Chem. teacher was half-naked with
the undercover general just going gaga over her.
Another memorable scene from the movie occurred between the fat, male professor
and the main character. This professor launched a large “loogie” aiming
for the general’s head. However, in anticipation, the general ducked
the “loogie” Matrix-style (through a slow-motion montage in which
he bends his back as far as it can go without falling down to the floor ).
The bollywood genre is all about making the big bucks. This movie had too many
special effects. Bollywood movies are too cliché & the “characters
become stagnant and redundant,” according to a famous Indian actor, Anupam
Kher (“Bend It like Beckham” & “Second Generation”).
I could not imagine Parminder Nagra doing a Bollywood film. That would go against
everything she believes in.
If you have not seen a Bollywood film, just expect
the unexpected…I guess.
A
Recap of Sunday’s Films at the Roxie Theatre
1PM: “Annahat” (Eternity)
3PM: “Laatoo” (Twirling Top)
5PM: “Starkiss: Circle Girls in India”
7PM: “A Certain Liberation”…With Local South Asian Short
Films
9PM: The British Are Coming: Short British Asian Films
1PM: “Annahat” (Eternity)
This is a very traditional film set, during the tenth century B.C., in India.
Basically, the king cannot have a child. As a result, the queen has to have
sex with another Indian official part of their clan. The queen enjoyed the
sex so much that she felt liberated for the first time in her life. At the
end of the movie, she has to choose between the husband (king) and the Indian
officer.
The answer is pretty obvious on who the queen chooses. However,
she still needs to give birth to a boy. So, her quest continues.
3PM: “Laatoo” (Twirling Top)
This documentary film explains the history of Pakistani dance through the eyes
of different choreographers. Dancing is very difficult to do, not only because
of the technical aspect, but also, the political aspect behind a dance. The
arch rivalry between the Pakistani Muslims and the Indian Hindus has long existed
ever since Pakistan got their independence from India. As a result, Pakistani
dancers have to avoid using Hindi aspects in their dance. For many Pakistanis,
dance is used a form of prayer. In addition, Pakistani dance infuse different
variations such as tango, salsa, and flamingo dances to their style.
This is a great film if you are a fan of dance or the
fine arts. This documentary explores many different aspects of dance,
not only through different performances, but through political and
religious aspects.
5PM: “Starkiss: Circus Girls
in India”
This is a very powerful documentary that goes inside the Rayman Circus (India’s
oldest circus. This film explores the lives of numerous Nepalese girls who
have to work as child labor. The circus sends agents to Nepal in order to select
girls who look beautiful and have great coordination. The circus teaches these
girls new tricks, and their pay is based on how many tricks they can perform
in the circus. As the old cliché goes, the show must go on…three
times a day throughout most of the week. This documentary shows not only the
girls’ performances, but how they live in their enclosed camp. Only one
male performer is allowed inside the girl’s camp, a 16 old “little
person” who has that three year old puppy face (even though he is a pervert).
These girls go through a pain that no one can relate to outside of the circus.
So, much pain not only externally but internally as well. These girls know
that they have to support their families, because their parents don’t
make that much money especially in Nepal. Child labor just shows how far behind
second and third world countries are from “modern” technological
societies.
This is a definite must-see and must own. It’s
scary how girls have to do so much, and get little in return for
their efforts. By the way, there is a teacher/performer at the circus
who instructs the kids. However, this “teacher” never
received an education, as the majority of the underage performers
have not received an adequate form of education. In addition to all
of the underage girls, there are “little people” who
are looked at very strangely by the Indian audience. I definitely
felt sorry all the performers in the circus. However, this child
labor cycle will still continue as long as if there’s inequality
in our world.
7PM: “A Certain Liberation”…& Local
South Asian Short Films
“ A Certain Liberation” (37
min.)
This is a documentary following an old Bengali woman, Guardasi Mondol, who
is a legend in herself for what she does. She’s a mad woman who does
whatever she wants. She whips people, including police, with her legendary
stick. In addition, when a young woman gave birth…this mad woman pulled
out the baby, umbilical cord and all. However, there’s something behind
her madness. She went mad during the Liberation or Civil War of Bangladesh
in 1971. She continues to carry on that liberating, free spirit from the 70s
until today.
Usually, her exuberance towards others shows that
she needs to be loved. Without her Bengali community, she tends
to be a loner (even though Ms. Mondol won’t admit to it).
When she dies, she wants to be remembered as a free person who
cared about everyone.
“ A Secret Language” (5
min)
A short film shot in San Francisco that show’s the prospective of a ten
yr. old, Indian girl.
“ Waxed Poetic” (2 min)
Someone receives wax treatment from a manicurist at a nail salon.
“ The Great Game: A New World Order?” (5
min)
The director shows the similarities between the Bush administration and Nazi
Germany through the use of a split screen and a news ticker placed at the bottom
of the picture.
“ 2:38” (3 min)
The director shows one Asian girl’s elongated moment through her own
different perspectives.
“ Hole” (12 min)
A somewhat professional looking short film made by a hundred film students
at UCLA. This film follows the story of one woman who thinks the world is made
up of holes. In addition, the actress allows us to get into her weird dreams
of despair.
“ Panchali” (7 min)
An ancient Indian myth presented in modern-day San Francisco, in which a woman
tries to escape her stalker. Another professional feel to this short movie
since it was made by the film department at San Francisco State.
“ Propagandhi” (6
min)
A short film presented with many hundreds of photographs of protest banners
in the streets of San Francisco.
9PM:
The British Are Coming: 4 Short British Asian Films
“ Goodness Ungracious Me” Has Already Been Reviewed
Check the synopsis of Second Generation & Parminder Nagra for the review
of this short film.
“ The Bypass” (11 min)
An Indian version of William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies,” in
which, the Indian characters just kill each other off in a desert.
“ Jump Boy” (11
min)
Take Uzi (an Indian, who’s a wannabe black rapper and thug), from “Second
Generation,” as a grammar school kid. Give Uzi some wannabe thug friends,
and bring in a real black gang. Smells like trouble for Uzi, because the gang
is in search of him.
“ Holly-Bolly” (12
min)
Two directors try to make a cutting-edge movie concerning Indian culture. However,
the director providing the money for the film has other ideas. This provider
wants the movie to be more stereotypical of Indian and Caucasian cultures.