I stopped by a Bandra boutique yesterday to check out some candle pr0n. Romance to me is largely about lighting, nasha, the sound of a voice. It goes back to the womb, I’m sure. I scored two fun candles, a flickering shadow Ganesh and a retro Kollywood. Ganesh sways drunkenly when he flickers:

Lara Dutta stopped by, hair pulled back, sans makeup. The shop owner asked about her boyfriend. I ogled her discretely, part by part, bit by bit.

I asked the proprietor whether he had any Bollywood candles, and he told me someone had just beaten me to them. He fished out a business card from his front pocket. The buyer turned out to be a fellow Brooklynite, a filmmaker working on a movie called Patang (Kite):

It’s January 14th and Ahmedabad is possessed by the spirit of Makar Sakranti, fondly known as the day the wind changes direction. Ground glass lace spindles of thread, sharp enough to cut skin. In the narrow streets of the old city, one million kites, made of thin paper and bamboo, have been stacked and sold. [Link]

Like the boutique, Dhoop (heat of the sun), this movie about the kite festival in Ahmedabad is all about mood and lighting. Fighter kites, cutting string, Holi mosquito guns, home photo kits with glass plates and iodine, Commando comics — these were the things I loved as a toddler in India, so you’ll see why I find the trailer so romantic. It’s even got footage from a string factory and a kite market at night. Do check it out.

Patang will be the feature debut of acclaimed director/designer Prashant Bhargava. His short film Sangam premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and appeared at over thirty film festivals garnering several awards and accolades. Sangam has been released on DVD by Film Movement and is currently being broadcast on PBS, the Sundance Channel, and ZDF/Arte. [Link]

… as creative director of his own production company, Prashant has designed and directed commercials, titles, and promos for such films as Born into Brothels… Mira Nair’s Hysterical Blindness… and Denzel Washington’s Antwone Fisher. [Link]