FUNNY BOY is a charming, easily understood book, which touches on the themes of homosexuality, racism, and relationships within the family. Set in Sri Lanka, and through the eyes of Arjie, who likes to dress up in saris and put on nail polish. I thought it was a pretty great book. He knows much more than he’s supposed to know – he follows his aunt to see her secret lover, finds out about his mother’s love, and grows to understand the hatred and violence that he is living in. The book is more about the Tamil/Sinhalese conflict than anything else. Sad too. A Must Read.

:)

I have been telling myself to watch Deepa Mehta’s Trilogy – FIRE/EARTH/WATER for the past 4-5 months. But I have not. Which is silly because I had so much time to kill on my hands. Nevertheless. Let me tell you about these 3 movies, one of which is banned in many countries, and one which talks about the effect of the partition of India and one which was almost banned from being produced. Rather controversial films, perhaps? However, its kinda like a spoiler if anyone wants to watch these films – that i highly doubt. They are all very GP-ish films, I would think.

I find Mehta’s insistence and determination very remarkable. What do I mean? http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/28/water.html – Read this. I’m not lazy to copy and paste it here, but it’ll just seem like a lot of crap that nobody wants to read if its all copied onto my blog. You should take a look at it.

The songs were composed by A.R. Rahman whilst the background score was composed by Mychael Danna. The soundtrack was released by international label, Varèse Sarabande. Due to some problems with this movie in India, the Audio CD clearly states that the CD is not to be sold in India and Pakistan. You can watch its trailer here, although I have a MUCH better one, but I don’t know how to upload it- Of the 3 movies, the quality of this is the best, well i would think so because its the most recent :) Anwy, the link is http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/water/

And of course, the music is by ARR. When i first heard Fire’s soundtrack (it doesn’t have songs per se unlike most hindi movies because.. its not very Bollywood style), I was rather freaked out. OR perhaps it just seemed freaky then. I think i first heard the soundtrack, in Sec 3? Now, i don’t know. Its been a while since I sat down to listen to FIRE’s soundtrack. Nothing exceptionally great, but its not bad.

1. Fire (1996)
   The first film in the series, Fire (1996), is set in contemporary India. It was a highly controversial film due to its explorations of gender, marriage, and sexuality (namely, lesbianism).
2. Earth/1947 (1998)
   Earth (1998) (released in India as 1947: Earth) tells the story of the partition of India in 1947 from the vantage point of a young Parsi girl.
3. Water (2005)
   The final film in the trilogy, Water (2005), is set in the 1930s and focuses upon the lives of a group of widows.

Fire

Radha (Shabana Azmi) is an obedient and dutiful New Delhi wife who has patiently endured the celibacy of her husband Ashok for 15 years. Disappointed that she was unable to give him a child, he has devoted himself to a swami. When his brother Jatin brings home his new wife Sita (Nandita Das), the two women become friends. Jatin is still loyal to his Chinese mistress and has no love for his wife. Sita has no respect for female subservience and soon leads Radha into a lesbian affair. Ashok’s religious mother, hobbled by a heart attack, witnesses their unfolding relationship. A servant eventually tells Ashok what is going on.

1947 Earth

This an powerful story about the partition of India into two countries, India and Pakistan. There was a huge movement of people between the two countries, and thousands of people were massacred. The story takes place in Lahore, just before the partition, and is seen through the eyes of a ten-year old Parsi girl. She has a Hindu nanny, who is young and attractive. The nanny has a group of admirers, a Hindu, a Sikh and two Muslims. The director, Deepa Mehta, uses this little group of friends to portray the break-up of the country. At first they stay loyal to each other, but as the violence touches them, the cracks appear and suspicion and hatred creep in. This movie graphically depicts the violence of ethnic cleansing, the horror of which overshadows the beauty of romance, the closeness of friendship and the happiness of families.

Water

Deepa Mehta’s “Water” is a about an 8-year-old Hindu widow sent to live in an Indian ashram with other widows who, in strict adherence with Hindu texts, are condemned to the same outcast fate. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from a lower caste and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

And oh well, I better be getting down to watching Water and Earth soon. Fire seems utterly boring from the snippets I’ve seen, very slow moving but i’ll also take a look because some of its reviews look rather good. And thats the end of my update for today. =) sayonara. Its back to school tmr!