OK, so being stuck in Delhi due to the dense fog has its benefits. I can spread the word about some further news in the exciting saga of the making of Salman Rushdie’s “Midnight’s Children” into a film. Deepa Mehta directing, Shabana Azmi already on board in the role of the Grandmother, and now Imran Khan is being considered, quite seriously, for the role of Salim.

Although the serious hurdle in this casting will be Imran Khan’s perfectly proportioned nose, Sir Rushdie is of the opinion that the young and talented star of “Jaane Tu ya Jaane Na” is the best person for the cinematic version of his award winning novel. This will certainly add some heat quotient and a lot of teenage girls in the audience…

That’s it for now, but do stay tuned for great news about Slumdog opening in Bombay, and don’t forget to read about the press conference for “Midnight’s Children” which I reported on for Chic Today. Cheers!

So Hollywood giant Warner Bros. has decided to join Walt Disney Pictures and Sony on the Bollywood scene. Sony got its toes wet last year with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya”, while Walt Disney Pictures collaborated on the animated fall release“Roadside Romeo”, with voices provided by real-life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. But here comes the biggest of the big studios with its own (ad)venture into Hindi cinema. Forget wetting one’s toes with this one, “Chandni Chowk to China”, starring superstar Akshay Kumar, is a splash! If you doubt me, all you really need to do is go to the movie’s website - complete with a rockin’ video game, a link to purchase the soundtrack and cool downloads - to realize I am calling it right on this one! 

The film is scheduled to open in a wide release - by Hindi cinema abroad standards anyway - on January 16th, after some difficulties which included re-shooting some pivotal scenes with Mr. Kumar. Apparently, the masters had been damaged in post-productions and this has pushed the release to the middle of January. With no competition in sight - Aamir Khan’s “Ghajini” has been in the theater for more than three weeks by now - the CC2C, as it is known for short, is going to be the heat factor we all need during the cold and gloom of our winter. The film also stars Deepika Padukone and personal favorite, the wonderfully complex character and multiplex actor Ranvir Shorey. 

Yours truly saw it in previews last night and totally, utterly enjoyed it to the max. It’s action, fun, great Chinese clothes and a wonderful scene with a whole army of warriors dressed in gold, in front of the Forbidden City - courtesy of Film City, of course!! But really, I encourage you NOT to take my word for it and see for yourself. For those of you who have a good knowledge of Hindi cinema, you will enjoy the inside jokes, about past films like “Hum Dil De Chucke Sanam” and “Disco Dancer”… And for the boys, Deepika looks absolutely ravishing as twins, especially in her “Chinese” role. I imagine most girls will be getting bangs - hair fringes - after seeing her glamorous do.

If you are in NYC, for a complete India to China experience, then finish off your evening at Chinese Mirch on Lexington Avenue in Curry Hill, for some fabulous Indo-Chinese cuisine, bound to warm up your tummy, after CC2C has managed to warm up your hearts. N-joy!

This week, I wish to share the thoughts and ideas of a man I admire deeply. His views on Happiness - and the thought that this elusive feeling is more like a muscle which needs exercising as much as our bodily muscles do - are enlightening and calming, in times of struggle. Happiness is a choice, after all. Anyone who has studied acting, and paid their dues in a Stanislavski Method class, has done the “whole day, same mood” exercise, where one goes around all day trying to maintain just one, constant, state of mind. For example, lets say that you chose sad; then even learning you just won the lottery is not supposed to change your mood. It’s a principle very similar to the teachings of biochemist turned Buddhist monk in the Himalayas Matthieu Ricard, the official French translator for the Dalai Lama and a simply magical man.

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Ricard at the Nine Rivers Gala at the Rubin Museum, here in NYC. I suggest a visit there these days, as there is a wonderful Cloth and Embroidery exhibit going on, with gorgeous garments from India and Pakistan. But I digress again. Concentration is definitely one of my mind’s muscles that does not get exercised all the time. Or perhaps there is just too much to do here in the Big Apple. But anyway, to hear Matthieu Ricard speak, do click on this link from TED online or watch the video below. Ted is always a great source of inspiration and information!

And I’ll leave you with the words of the wonderful actor Ashraf Barhom, born in Galilee, Israel and star of films like “The Kingdom” and “The Syrian Bride”:

“When we attach ourselves to national identities, then we enter into a cycle of conflict. I didn’t choose where I was born or who to be or what people would call me. I’m a hybrid, from a cultural perspective, but I don’t think in these terms. I’m more simple than that. I’m a mammal who will live 70 years more or less, who believes in God and likes his life.”

Perhaps, therein lies the secret of contentment.

Top image courtesy of Matthieu Ricard, small photo courtesy of ©Richard Chavez and Barhom excerpt courtesy of IMDB

Well, you are probably thinking it’s hardly an adventurous post, since this is the time when most people make those New Year’s resolutions and start thinking how they can improve their lives. But the way I am thinking is less about diets and gym memberships and more in the ballpark of changes in our characters, which will in turn affect the way the world functions. I don’t think I am alone when I say that there is something wrong in how things are going, for all of us collectively. My critics will definitely pounce on that and come back with replies like “Nina is too negative” or “There she goes again, looking at the glass as half full”. But what they may call negativity, I see as a realistic outlook. We cannot ignore the Bombay attacks, we cannot look the other way regarding Israel and their constant aggressions towards the Palestinian state, we cannot think the economy is going to fix itself, with a little extra spending - of money we don’t have! - on our part, as the politicians will have you believe. There have been tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes and famines, and that’s just in the last two years! Even if one doesn’t believe in the entity of God, we cannot help but wonder why “He” is so mad at us… 

Of course, there are wonderful signs of change. The election of our new President Barack Obama, here in the US, is a momentous event that has changed the way I look at the world. He’s a bastion of hope and a symbol of how powerful we can be when we all get together on an issue. But we do still have a long way to go. In NYC, there are more homeless persons on the street now than ever before. Living downtown, I am noticing this first hand. Early this morning, coming home from a New Year’s Eve party, I complained that I could not find a cab quickly enough in the frigid - below freezing - temperature. As I rounded the corner of my block, there was a form tucked under a blanket, sleeping outside on the cold pavement in this weather! It reminded me that we are only as strong as our weakest link.

So, I wish to share with you something I wrote for Boxing Day, for Miss Make a Movie, a blog I contribute to from time to time. It is titled “Out With the Old…” but in this case I will subtitle it “In With the New!” In case you’re wondering why a subtitle, well, you know me and Bollywood films! Nothing worth watching - or reading in this case - comes without subtitles. Just check out Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” and you’ll understand what I mean. Without further ado, have a healthy, joyous, love-filled and important New Year 2009! And, in the word of Gandhi-ji: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Photo of Danny Boyle courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures