Archive for the ‘Books and movies’ Category

Spiritual seekers, heroes and India lovers

I am way behind in writing reviews about the books I am reading. Ever since I got rid of my TV, I’ve been reading like a fiend — and I am expanding my lists to include books about transformational travel. For my previous lists, please read Another 10 books on India or 10 (more) books I love about India or Top 10 books on India thus far. (NOTE: Do not look for Shantaram, The White Tiger or Eat, Pray, Love. You will not find them. But you will see a comparison to Shantaram, number 9 below.)

The mass popularity of Eat, Pray, Love seems to suggest that author Elizabeth Gilbert was the first seeker ever to brave the rigours of travel in India in order to discover inner bliss at a spiritual retreat. To set the record straight, spiritual seekers have been going to India for many generations, perhaps many centuries. The Beatles went to India in 1968.  A Search in Secret India (on the list below) by Dr. Paul Brunton was published in 1935. Somerset Maugham’s masterpiece A Razor’s Edge is about a man who goes to India just after WW1. Mark Twain went to India in the 19th century. There is even speculation that Jesus trained as a yogi in India – and that’s where he learned to perform “miracles.” Read the rest of this entry »

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Eat, Pray, Love is a Julia Roberts movie. Her elegantly chiseled features, distinctive curled upper lip and large, limpid brown eyes dominate the movie. It’s a travelogue all right – a travelogue of Julia’s face and her familiar, and limited, emotional range. Read the rest of this entry »

the winner's loot

And the winners are…

The winners of the Eat, Pray, Love contest gathered at the Chapters-Indigo book store in downtown Toronto on Wednesday, August 11 to pick up their free passes to a preview screening of the film and a whole lot more. Thanks to Natalie, Grant and Kyra at Sony Pictures Canada for giving one double pass, a “pray” t-shirt, bookmark and mala bead bracelet to each winner; and to Chapters-Indigo for giving each winner a copy of the book by Elizabeth Gilbert. Chapters-Indigo was also very cordial about hosting us — thanks go to Michael and Phil and the really friendly people at this store. If you want to shop in a bookstore run by friendly people, go to the Chapters-Indigo at John and Richmond streets in downtown Toronto.

To see the winners’ photos, read more. Read the rest of this entry »

On location in India in Columbia Pictures' EAT PRAY LOVE. © 2010 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This summer let yourself go

Thanks to everyone who entered BreatheDreamGo’s Eat, Pray, Love contest. These lucky people, listed below, won a double pass to the preview screenings of the Julia Roberts film Eat, Pray, Love based on the popular best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. Read the rest of this entry »

Win free passes to see Eat, Pray, Love

NOTE: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED AS OF AUGUST 9, 2010

This Video Friday, BreatheDreamGo is featuring the trailer to the movie Eat, Pray, Love starring Julia Roberts and 70 free passes to give away to the August 11 preview screenings in Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Winnipeg. And 10 lucky winners in Toronto will also receive a prize pack along with their passes comprised of  a “pray” t-shirt, mala bead bracelet and bookmark.

To enter the contest, click Read the rest of this entry and follow the instructions. Read the rest of this entry »

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

The biggest question of our time is not do you believe in god; or is global warming real; it’s where do stand on Eat, Pray, Love? The book about Elizabeth Gilbert’s quest to find “everything” in Italy, India and Bali is a publishing phenomenon: it was an international bestseller with more than seven million copies sold worldwide; and in 2008, Time Magazine named Gilbert one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Today, July 18, is Elizabeth Gilbert’s birthday. She is 41. And I want to salute her.

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Role Models

Priyanka Chopra in Whatt's Your Rashee?

As women’s roles in Indian society change, are they reflected in the movies we watch? I asked three successful, talented and powerful actresses –Rani Mukherjee, Pryianka Chopra and Seema Biswas – for their take on the roles women play in India cinema. All three are uniquely suited to address this question, but in very different ways.

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Chowpatty Beach, Mumbai, at sunset

I arrived in Mumbai (Bombay) badly. I bought a ticket in Goa for an overnight “luxury” bus from Madgao to Bandra, leaving at 8 pm. Instead, I was bussed from Madgao to Panjim, shifted to a dirty, run-down bus that left at 10 pm and told the bus would not stop at Bandra after all. No explanation given. Read the rest of this entry »

children listening to stories at Book Fair

The World Book Fair in Delhi is a highly anticipated event that sprawls across the huge Pragati Maidan fair grounds in central Delhi. There are publishers from all over the world, books in dozens of languages, reading events and books, thousands and thousands of books. It is a book lover’s paradise. My only problem was that it’s so huge, I could only do one section — the hall devoted to books in English (of course). Read the rest of this entry »

Aamir Khan is kinda like the Sean Penn of India. A bit of a “bad boy outsider” who makes excellent, worthwhile films and is a very talented actor and all-round consummate professional. He’s perhaps a better dancer, and gets in less fights, but otherwise I think the comparison is apt.

Aamir is already one of the top two or three male movie stars in India, and he may one day be as famous as Sean Penn in the west, too. His 2007 film Taare Zameen Par was recently picked up by Disney for distribution in North America, and retitled Like Stars on Earth. It’s Disney’s first Hindi language release and will be for sale as a 3-disc DVD/CD set on January 12, 2010.

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