I don't think it's either - while you see a lot more topis, salwaars and scary uncles giving you pervy glares, it's not really about religious attitudes. And while the article seems to imply that halal pizzerias are ghettoising these places, I wouldn't think it's about the stores either - our local halal shops are frequented by the white and afro-caribbean peeps too - the fact that the butcher has a beard and wears salwaars, or that his wife is a niqabi, doesn't get in the way of how they engage with their locals.
but there is this overriding regressive, exclusive attitude - a sense of scrutiny and suspicion of outsiders that can feel very intimidating. Reminds me of the whole "local" thing in the league of gentlemen.

the level of isolation in cities like Bradford and Dewsbury is very, very uncomfortable - they are completely cut off from "outside" communities and fester in this private, claustrophobic bubble. It's not simply the high number of restaurants/ clothing stores - places like Southall, parts of Birmingham also have the dense asian population, but maintain a more open atmostphere - you wouldn't feel out of place taking non-asian mates to a restaurant in Southall, but you'd be reluctant to do the same in Bradford. There's no sense of communication or any interaction with other communities. They're not just unwelcoming to other non-asian people - walking around Bradford as a hijab-free girl in skinny jeans and sneakers and you're soon looking for a hole in te ground to swallow you up.

"you'll keep reading just to find out what that rascal Robert is going to do next."

eh??

and I thought the age of rakish rascals, scoundrels and rapscallions had gone. It is a very pretty cover. But the whole niqabi-erotica thing seems a little out of place.

ohmygosh wow! thank you, that is so, so wicked!

very interesting link, Juice. I've attempted to keep diaries when I was younger, but abandoned them simply because I couldn't bear to see my angsty confessions on the page again. I'd be mortified if any of them came to light. The concept of diary keeping as a way of ordering the detritus of life into some kind of coherent and ordered historical narrative is fascinating though.

I like how he distinguishes diaries from blogs ("blather is different from dross", hehee) since blogs, unlike diaries, presuppose an audience from the outset, however imaginary they may be. Sitemeters are fascinating, narcissistic little toys :) They're immediately a performance for someone else, unlike a diary, which remains an empty stage for rifling through your own private neuroses. Same goes with comments etc, although I wonder, on those threads with hundreds of comments, who exactly the commentator is writing for. Do people trawl through them, or are they for the blog-owner, or simply for their own ego?

Picture blogs are an intriguing point. I trawl through dozens of style blogs on a daily basis, where most people do surrender their anonymity, although a few obscure their faces behind cameras and pretty pictures or just cut-offs. A lot of these I'm sure do arise from a sense of vanity, as well as the promise of affirmation from your fellow fashionistas, but there's also a sense of open sharing, communication and inspiration from them. The best of these now transcend their amateur bedroom-mirror snaps to gain some real recognition in the industry they've always commented on from the outside, but still retain their private voice (susie bubble's awesome blog comes to mind). And then you have streetstyle blogs, like the sart's and facehunterwhich are populated by the great anonymous public, with the occasional familiar face or sleb.

ah! "Blindness" and "seeing"! I saw these the other day and was put off by the titles (a really rubbish reason but the cuteness of the pair of titles bugs me so much!). VV, any recommendations where to start with Saramago?

why would anyone watch a film for a dress? esp. that dress, god, it looks cheap, and blech on gawky old Kiera. I do love vaseliney soft focusing and blooming english gardens though. Belated mince pies to you though Manish, for use of that lovely word, ponce :) That site is utter joy!

oh man. parading bloody sheets? do we live in some bloody jacobean tragedy or something??
Hymen reconstruction has been a big trend in the states and s. america for a while, hardly due to Islamic fundamentalism... sorry no refs for this, although I'm sure it has been featured on eurotrash. And nip/tuck too probly.
besides, if the woman's parents were ok with her going off to uni and living independently, I doubt they, or her in-law's would be demanding some archaic piece of "evidence".
What an idiotic article. But then the daily mail is the epitome of numbskull bigotry.

but I can imagine that smoke treatment could be a huge hit here in the licentious west...

chili chocolate has been around a long time. aztecs, like. There is some fancy chocolatier in londres who has all kinds of strange flavours, I think they had cherry blossom... and maybe some meaty flavour too...
rose pepper and cheese... they sound interesting though.

but most indians I know only seem to be interested in those gross slabs of blechy sickly-sweet milky types.

too cool. Need to dig em up on youtube.
also nice to see punk reclaimed from the legions of pigeon-toed, curtain-fringed designer-clad brats.

O how the cockles of my icy heart have been warméd...

but shucks, even I want to join the japanese navy now - aside from the cute uniforms, who wouldn't want a job where each day begins with a co-ordinated group dance? seaman ship, seaman ship...

the uk's army ad's are funny. in that they present the army as one big rollicking live action computer game.

aaah! that's the bugger.

have you seen it? is it any good?

queens, twinks and brown highland dancers? Christmas is made.

not all gay films are terrible though. The object of my affection is pretty cute. And the tv series queer as folk (the uk version, not the n. american one) was pretty awesome. I'm sure there's plenty more. There may even be some good desi films too!
It's only when they start getting all "representative" that it starts to feel like one of those cheesy videos we'd have to watch in personal/social education classes in school, trying to teach us to be all understanding...

actually there's a desi film I'm searchin high and low for, to no avail. I saw a clip for it once on tv (on desi dna on bbc2), but cannot remember any details. I think it was set in Paris, about some desi food-cart guy, very colourful. Had "mumbai" in the title, and I'm sure Waris Ahluwalia was involved in it, but cannot find anything about this! It's doing my head in.

god, I'm so tired of things like this. The problem with the hijab in many cases is when its role is distorted through culture/tradition - in and of itself, it gives some people comfort/confidence/ and yes, louie, freedom too. But what are you supposed to do when people choose to manipulate and distort things in this manner? It's all very well when a white middle-class muslim convert can wax lyrical about the freedom and the beauty of the hijab etc, but how do you deal with families and communities with these traditionalist, backwards mentalities? It's got nothing to do with the hijab or the issue of modesty, but how these families are dealing with themselves and their environment.
I'm tired of how the hijab has become such a politicised prop. Inevitable, but still. I used to wear it, but stopped, partly because it's lost, culturally, any spiritual significance; it's just become a marker for which side of the line you sit on.

very nice looking.
but am I the only luddite left in the world? who likes teacup stains, dog-eared corners and broken spines?

there's a french site thé des ecrivains that also sells cute desi-inspired stuff. I found some of their old filmy poster notebooks in a big discount store - they're really quite lovely!

possibly my fave, though not very festive

along with prayers little little kids are taught to handle guns, taught about revenge and voilence which is sad...

It bugs me how madrassahs/muslim schools etc are often portrayed as these little baby-terrorist hangouts now, coaching the kids in all manners of ultra-violent chemistry. Back in my day, madrassahs were just a place to see my other asian friends, getting sweeties and the occasional murghi punishment from the teach'. Oh yes, and some droning on, by-heart learning too. When my sister went, madrassah was the place for all kinds of furtive exchanges of pokemon and yu-gi-oh cards. I don't think any of the kids I've known or see going would have much interest in listening to some burbly adult's indoctrination. More like ds's and the latest Bratz doll.

I really hope this gets some kind of showing in the UK. It looks so gorgeous.

Pah, what does Rakoff know, Peter Hoeg is a fantastic writer, especially his other books beyond "Smilla...". (Borderliners and The History of Danish Dreams are both outstanding... and I think there are clowns in the latter too... or at least a circus-escapee) Smilla was more of a thriller, and I suppose people are expecting more of the same from him with this, but his other work develops a fascination with more philosophical concerns, with the nature of identity, enlightenment, modernity and civilisation, and it seems from the reviews I've read he's coming back to this. This might detract from them becoming rampant page-turners, but they're no less worthy of attention.

cool, more to add to my bday list...

Dasgupta reminds me of a young Milind Soman...

I'd be interested in seeing a bollywood adaptation of Midsummer night's.... I can imagine the surreal dreamscape working well with some hyper-colourful Saawariya-esque setting.

and Paresh Rawal would have to be Bottom.

oh my, so cute. I have nephews and nieces qui habites en Paris, and their franco-gujju accents are just too adorable.

Oh man, Karan Johar's been pillaging Marc Jacobs? But everything always looks so...so nasty in his films, all shiny, and cheesy knitwear. And polonecks. And cheesy Burberry. blegh. I can't think of any hip brands featured in Bollywood flicks. I do remember one with Aish in some Chanel ripoff tee though. I'm just satisfied if they make it through without looking like they crawled out of some 80's bargain bin.
Gap UK/Europe is a bit more fashion. And I would cherish the day some Bollywood biddy tried to rock their jodphur look :)
but

I see silvery bits in the chest area and figure it’s either fashion or pasties.

so, so priceless!

Regardless, Madhuri looks neat and neutral. Looking forward to seeing this soon. Konkona! Irfan! Kunal! a package of bliss.

Maxim...?

he seems to have marooned himself in some hideously paunchy slumber party....

"It’s clear from the photo that he has been made a mascot, soon he will be making them cocoa and dispensing 2:00 a.m. relationship advice"

lol, yes, they'll be going for communal waxes soon.

this lovely Naboo, not the planet.

yergh... that is horribly hypnotic...

for a slightly more lux take on the turban...

though yes, it is a bit Naboo.

also yasmin
and channel 4 did a mini series called britz - both are about contemporary british muslims and meant to look at the issue of 'home-grown' terrorists - yasmin does a better job of this though.

also anita and me - 70s immigrants again, I think. not bad, heartwarmy stuff (hate that word - makes me think of soup...) with meera syal.


no, the om puri one isn't East is east... its some surreal little film I saw in the wee hours one night. Will try to find out.

Bhaji isn't fantastic... but it was the first film I ever saw about brit-asians, so it was pretty cool.

obvious ones include east is east, bhaji on the beach, my beautiful laundrette...

there is also an excellent film with om puri(I think...) about immigrants in the 70s... cannot remember title though...

dirty pretty things is also great. though not about british asians, but illegal immigrants. but still fantastic :)

I don't disagree at all Bobby, and I hope it does sink to the bottom of oblivion like the soggy dishcloth it is. A bunch of my kin have seen it at the weekend and did like it though (but their poor taste is infamous so perhaps not the best sample audience to judge from) - most of the older lot liked it, primarily I guess because it comfortably cushioned existing beliefs/prejudices, while the younger lot appreciated the eyecandy and, yep, the novelty of seeing something resembling themselves on the bollywood screen. Although the footy stuff was BS.

it's a shame this film'll be such twaddle, because these are worthwhile subjects to examine, but I guess any remotely authentic depiction of the british asian experience would be throttled at birth since it would risk destroying those nice, comfortable illusions it's so often glossed over with.

hmmm if their asian recruits turned out to be anything like the twat on Britz then god help em...

Oh dear, from what I've seen of this this looks atrocious - something like an extended version of that awful rugby scene in Namaste London. I agree, British-asians are long overdue a decent film about our experience - one that isn't mired in crude stereotypes like the eeeevvil neonazi skinheads and the old vestiges of the Raj vs. the pure, goldenhearted desi hero. If we're happy to run our businesses, educate our kids and root our lives here - yelping out 'victim' is absolutely hypocritical. But | think this will still do reasonably well with the NRI audience, because it does nurture this deluded self-righteous fantasy that many people still seem to entertain.

Marquez' novellas have the clarity and succinctness of a gem, esp. "Chronicle" (though I don't think that could be described as magic-realism, just a very interesting examination of perception of time and history), but, for whatever reason, this does dissolve into mulch as soon as he takes on a greater breadth of vision. "Love..." especially, absolutely bored the piss out of me. His writing seems tailor-made for Richard and Judy bookclub types who'd like to mull over the constipated convolutions of, yes, "upmarket pulp" and happily confuse its wordiness for literature.

But Rushdie is no less guilty of gratuitous, over-indulgent litwank. (I'd hesitate to say 'wordplay' - it'd be an insult to those acrobats that do it - vargas llosa, lispector, kundera, calvino...)Yes, he is a showman, but so is David Copperfield. I'm all for erudite digressions, but he lacks the grace and dexterity that could save his baroque verbosity from slipping towards morbid obesity. Plus he's such an asinine prick I can't read a sentence without seeing his smug, balding face leering up from behind.

I don't know whether the film deserves it or not - I still can't decide whether I actually enjoyed it at all. I can't comment on how it fares alongside the rest of Bhansali's oeuvre - only half watched 'Black' when it came on tv a while ago, though I did love Devdas.
I do agree that Saawariya was a disappointment. the set, seething with a wasted budget; the school-drama club level of acting; the overdone fanboy tributes throughout. And lots more. And I doubt any of these thematic concerns figured remotely in SLB's mind when he decided to churn out a half-baked blahdeblah attempt at a modern fairytale. But on my part at least, that's just by-the-by. My own fascination is in a way, just because of its absurdity. I think SLB intended it as some twee, twinkling little story about love and innocence and other fuzzy Hallmark-ready abstractions, but it comes across to me as something so surreal, so strange, that I can't quite believe or understand what I'm seeing. Hence the babbling it's triggered.

I'm sure Sony will recoup their pennies. There is even a cute little tee for the film. http://www.desiwear.com/UK/detail.aspx?ID=161

has to be Sanjaya. how can you not love Bappi - if only for the fact that he dresses like a tacky indian restaurant and of course, 'Disco Dancer'!
Sanjaya meanwhile is like the snivelling pervy little cousin who loiters a little too close at family functions, and really brings out my violent side.

manish - pah, originality is like, so last century anyway :)
bobby - i know, but from what I can dredge up from my teenagnst days, Fyodor was more brooding, depressive melancholia, and less Patrick Bateman in love. I've know plenty of people like Sakina and Raj, and the violent shifts between manic extremes can be scary :/

hmm maybe rather than going for some star-cross'd lovers fairytale, SLB really meant to evoke some probing arty exploration of manic depression and paranoid schizophrenia, what with the claustrophobic feverish dreamscape, the general incoherency, the crazy dancing... you could even wangle in some clever comments about sexuality with the army of dancing prostitutes, Sakina wandering the streets all night, and Ranbir's ass.

or maybe I should get back to work!

sonam/sakina as the bipolar cosplayer is spot on. I was shocked by what a (self)destructive portrayal her character was. Ranbir too turns a bit scary, psychotically obsessive, but he gets a beating so it's ok :)

I've never seen the trailer before - but this is the first trailer I've seen which absolutely sums up the whole film - random, rhapsodical, beautiful abstractions, laced through with total gobbledegook - "and when they meet, what echoes is...." uuh?? pretty squiggles and a big nothing?