Shantaram by Gregorgy David Roberts: One of the best books I have ever read. Beautifully written and based on the author's own life. Made me cry several times. Soon to be made into a major motion picture - bought by Johnny Depp's production company. About an Australian kid who is a heroin addict, commits a bunch of armed robberies, goes to prison. Escapes from prison, somehow gets on a plane to India and lands in Bombay in about 1979. Spends the next 10 years living in the slums, running a free health clinic, working with the mafia, working in Bollywood, fighting with the Mujaheedins against Russia in Afghanistan ... and much more. Its almost 1000 pages long - and I am looking forward to reading it again.
The first page of the book opens beautifully as such:
"It too me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choice we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured. I realised, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them. It doesn't sound like much, I know. But in that flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility. And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life.
In my case, it's a long story, and a crowded one. I was a revolutionary who lost his ideals in heroin, a philosopher who lost his integrity in crime, and a poet who lost his soul in a maximum-security prison. When I escaped from prison, over the front wall, between two gun-towers, I became my country's most wanted man. Luck ran with me and flew with me across to India, where I joined the Bombay mafia. I worked as a gunrunner, a smuggler and a counterfeiter. I was chained on three continents, beaten, stabbed and starved. I went to war. I ran into enemy guns. And I survived, while other men around me died. They were better men than I am, most of them: better men whose lives were crunched up in mistakes, and thrown away by the wrong second of someone else's hate, or love, or indifference. And I buried them, too many of those men, and grieved their stories and their lives into my own.
But my story doesn't begin with them, or with the mafia: it goes back to that first day in Bombay. Fate put me in the game there. Luck dealt me the cards that led me to Karla Saaranen. And I started to play it out, that hand, from the first moment I looked into her green eyes. So it begins, this story, like everything else -- with a woman, and a city, and a little bit of luck."
I love that line ... so it begins, this story, like everything else -- with a woman, and a city, and a little bit of luck! Love it! And there are so many other lines in this book - over time maybe I'll talk about a few more ... better still - go read the book!
Freakanomics by Stephen Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner:
Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime? Do parents really matter when it comes to how kids will turn out?
Levitt looks at data. Distinguishes correlation from causation. And validates some very eye-opening hypotheses. I really liked this book a lot and have been talking about it ever since I read it. Quoting it. Over and over. Ask the people I hang out with!
I have a few more but no time to write about them. Later. Hopefully it will be sooner than 6 months from now. (And isn't that how most bloggers end every single post!) :)
So tentative dates for 4th Annual DSAFF are 10-12 Feb, 2006. Working on getting these confirmed within the next week or so. Missing Sindhu - our hardest working volunteer! Hey Sin - hope med school is treatin u good! :)
Outta here.
We had to move up this year's festival since there are a bunch of big Hindi movies coming out starting with Veer Zarra on Nov 12th and more through the end of the year. We have a great line up of films and I will highlight each one that we will be showcasing over the next few days. We are currently working on finalizing our program - more on that by the end of this week.
BTW - run to the theater to watch the following two films: "What the Bleep do you Know?" and "The Motorcycle Diaries" ... Awesome ... awesome! Two of the best films of this year so far ...
Less than a month to go for the 3rd DSAFF ...
Worked all day today - on some key upcoming presentations for work. Not really the ideal way to spend a Sunday. But the typical workday is usually so disruptive you almost have to come home in order to find undistrubed quality work time. And you can be so much more productive! There must be a way to make yourself more efficient at work - but w/o resorting to not answering calls and completely shutting down email, it's not likely you're gonna be productive.
On friday night I went to watch the premiere of "Deadroom" - the new film by four directors Yen Tan, James Johnston, David Lowery and Nick Prendergast. You may remember Yen and James worked with me on Wedded Bliss - so I was nervous and excited for them. They pulled in a solid crowd and the film was great! What an achievement in such a short time. Definitely worth a watch - keep your eye out for this one. I am looking forward to watching it again. Congrats guys! You should be proud of yourselves! My fav part tho was James' intro to the film - his whacky sense of humor always gets me.
James (addressing the audience): "Is anyone in here a doctor?"Everybody in the audience is shaking their head ... "No".James: "Well then, there's no reason for anyone to have their cellphone on."
Loved that brother! Okay got to go - wifey is waiting on me to do the dishes. Honestly! :)
Our screening at the Angelika is all set for June 21st. Word's out. We'll see you all there. Come early and hang out at the bar at the Mi Cocina or the new Cru Wine Bar at the wonderful Shops at Legacy and walk over to the spankin' new Angelika a little before 8pm to get your soda and popcorn and settle in for a free screening of the hilarious East is East.
Watched Shrek II and The Day After Tomorrow. Didn't like Shrek II - too much like the first one. The novelty is gone. Left my brain at the door for Day after Tomorrow - and I still got a headache - this time trying to ignore the obvious logic overlooks in the film. And it makes me sad that there are people out there who are leveraging the "science" in this film to make an environmental statement. Ppppllllllleeeeeaaaaazzzzzeeeeeee! You're better off driving a hybrid car and making a much stronger statement.
Also watched my man - Mani Rathnam's Yuva. Liked it. Although I felt like he was playing with the screenplay structure kinda like in Amorres Perres and 21 Grams - and even something similar to what he did w/ Alai Puthey. I didn't get into the Ajay Devagan story at all ... maybe it would have been better to stick to the Abhishek and Vivek threads. For some strange reason I was really drawn into the Kareena Vivek conversation ... I liked Kareena's no-makeup look. It was refreshing. Good to see her doing different things rather than the same old. And is this FINALLY the Abhishek breathrough movie! It is ... but if the box office doesn't pick up - not many people will remember him in it. And he continues to look for the one.
Current script has moved by one page - have been really busy with work and will continue to be busy through at least the middle of June. So don't expect to make any big strides over the next few weeks. But after that - I'm gonna speed through to finish the first draft. This one is real good. I am pretty excited about it. More on it some other day.
Oh ... tomorrow is my birthday. Happy Birthday dude! Gotta work some in the day but the night calls my name. And I will answer. :)
Just opened up the Call for Entries for the 3rd Annual Dallas South Asian Film Festival which will be help in November 2004. We have already started talking to a few reputable filmmakers - and we are excited about some of the films we will be bringing this year!
We are also working up a free screening in June at the brand new Angelika theater in Plano! WOW! We are working to finalize the film right now - hopefully confirmed by tomorrow - so we can start publicizing.
Script is stuck on page 60. As I may have mentioned the one I am currently working is called "Nandini's Dilemna". I almost had a co-writer but lost him to another project but the quest continues. Target is to complete script this summer so that we can focus on putting the team together in Fall 2004 and lead us into the production in 2005.
Other scripts are in development stage. All I need is time ... and the world is mine!
All I need is time.
I wish there were ...
more seconds in a minute.
more minutes in an hour.
more hours in a day.
more days in a month.
more months in a year.
more years in a decade.
more decades in a century.
more centuries in a millenium.
All I need is time ...
... and the world is mine.
It's just a matter of ... ... time.
Keep an eye on the DSAFF site for info about free screening and upcoming fest. If you wanna help and are in the DFW area - give me a call or email me - we can use you.
Feeling a little blaaahhh today. Time to just lay back and chill. Think. Take it all in. Breathe it out. I feel like writing a poem - so here goes!
I WAIT ...
by devashish saxena
I wait ...
to see your eyes
to smell your hair
to touch your face
to kiss your forehead
I wait ...
patiently
with hope
with fear
anxiously
I wait ...
to hug you
to hold you in my arms
to watch you sleep
to buy you everything
I wait ...
lovingly
with my fingers crossed
with prayers
anxiously
I wait ... for your return.
(c) 2004 Devashish Saxena. All Rights Reserved.
Well well it's almost the end of the 1st quarter. Random thoughts:
In the year 2003 two of my movies were released on DVD - Happy Birthday and Wedded Bliss?. That's plain badass! I am proud of both of these films and you really should get your hands on them and watch it. Send me your feedback if you got any.
My top ten films for 2003:
Best Actor = Sean Penn (for 21 Grams and Mystic River). Honorable Mentions = Sir Ben Kingsley (for House of Sand and Fog), Bill Murray (for Lost in Translation) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (for Dirty Pretty Things)
Best Actress = Naomi Watts (for 21 Grams) Honorable Mentions = Audrey Tautou (for Dirty Pretty Things), Jennifer Connelly (for House of Sand and Fog) and Samantha Morton (for In America)
Best Director = Tossup between Alejandro G. Inarritu and Stephen Friars.
And of course my best picture would go to 21 Grams. Quite frankly the best picture of 2003. Honorable mention = Wedded Bliss? - got to love your own work, son!
