T.G.I.F and Meme Day Four
How did I end up with all of this work on a Friday? I'm working on esssays for this awesome, but ridiculously competative scholarship. Let me tell you, I'm not a fan of selling myself, especially in 500 words or less. I have readings for my Muslim architecture class, massive amounts of Arabic homework because my professors don't even ACKNOWLEDGE Thanksgiving on the syllabus, and I have to read the entire State Department report on security and counter terrorism activity and then write a 10 page paper on it. There will be hair pulling, but, this is all worth it. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. Foreign Policy is not for the faint of heart...or those who hate to write.
Anyway, as a break from the madness, it's time for Day Four of the Meme. I'm really enjoying this. I realize just how many movies and television shows I've watched, and how many of those are just there, if not altogether unforgettable. Day Four is also the first day that I'm pretty sure most people are going to ask "who?"
Day Four: A Female Character You Relate To
Aisha Banarjee
Okay ladies (and gents if you're reading), it's fact time. Fact #1, I LOVE Bollywood. It's definitely an acquired taste, but I've been sipping the kool-aid for years now. Brown people who sing and dance and are gorgeous. Where has this been all my life? Fact #2, Aisha is played by Konkona Sen Sharma. She, along with Kajol, Rani, Tabu and Vidya Balan lately, OWN me. No seriously, I'll pretty much watch them in anything, which is good, because KoKo usually does parallel cinema, which can be utterly depressing. Fact #3, I'm usually tepid to underwhelmed by all romcoms. Sure, I like mindless entertainment as much as the next person, but very few are memorable. This is doubly true for Bollywood romcoms. Although, I think I'm the only Bollywood head I know who ISN'T in love with "Jab We Met" (but that's another post for another day. Just give me Hum Tum and we can roll). Fact #4, this movie is an exception to the rule. I absoultey, positively love everything about it, even when I don't agree with what a character does. And it's directed by Ayan Mukerji. I'm physically incapable of hating any Mukerji (see Kajol and Rani above).
Fact #5, there are several reasons I chose Aisha. In my icon, she's reading a book instead of paying Sid (who is Ranbir Kapoor. RANBIR!! Super, super adorable Ranbir. She is stronger than I am) any attention. This is pretty much how she rolls all movie, so points for that. She makes awesome facial expressions. You know how much I love to look at and make faces, so points for that too. She is friends with a younger man, and he is noticeably younger (not in looks or actual age, but in actions, at least at the beginning), and I've been there too, so even more points for Aisia. But what I like most about Aisha is that her bravery and her failings aren't overly glorified. She left home, in her late twenties, to strike out on her own. To be a writer for a trendy magazine. She just walks into the interview and goes for it. She's not someone who considers herself brave. But she has made a choice, that what is scary doesn't outweigh what keeps her at home, and she just does it. And she's not preachy about it. It just...is. What's amazing is, Sid, young, young Sid, finds this equally amazing, and she is so focused that she doesn't see it. I also love how she's truly a friend to this young man, even when it's frustrating. Her points against his flaws are completely valid, but it comes from a place of kindness and love for him, and therefore, he listens...eventually. She even falls for her boss, who is, on paper, the perfect guy. It isn't until she dates him (several times, because, like me, she wants to make really sure, lol) that she realizes that something is off, with both him and her, and even relates it back to her relationship with Sid. I just love how she's brave without knowing it. She puts on her big girl pants and goes. That doesn't stop her from being human, from saying hurtful things and making mistakes she regrets in the immediate future. But she keeps going, and she even manages to fall in love with someone who likes her just the way she is. Aisha loves Aisha, and you can tell Aisha had to work at it. She's a work in progress, but she knows that the only way to live is to keep going forward. To acknowledge your triumphs and your defeats and take them both gracefully. That taking chances doesn't require a theme song or a movie moment. It just requires you to DO it and take whatever comes. Getting things done without fanfare. Aisha was doing what I wanted to do when I saw this movie and that's why I relate so much to her. How can I not love Aisha?
Right, so subtitles for Hindi films are rarely great. My second career is going to be doing subtitles correctly for these films. This clips isn't that bad though.
So, yeah, totally my teaching moment for the week. Completely long winded and I'm pretty sure I only convinced myself to rewatch this movie this weekend, lol. At least that's not a total fail.
Anyway, as a break from the madness, it's time for Day Four of the Meme. I'm really enjoying this. I realize just how many movies and television shows I've watched, and how many of those are just there, if not altogether unforgettable. Day Four is also the first day that I'm pretty sure most people are going to ask "who?"
Day Four: A Female Character You Relate To
Aisha Banarjee
Okay ladies (and gents if you're reading), it's fact time. Fact #1, I LOVE Bollywood. It's definitely an acquired taste, but I've been sipping the kool-aid for years now. Brown people who sing and dance and are gorgeous. Where has this been all my life? Fact #2, Aisha is played by Konkona Sen Sharma. She, along with Kajol, Rani, Tabu and Vidya Balan lately, OWN me. No seriously, I'll pretty much watch them in anything, which is good, because KoKo usually does parallel cinema, which can be utterly depressing. Fact #3, I'm usually tepid to underwhelmed by all romcoms. Sure, I like mindless entertainment as much as the next person, but very few are memorable. This is doubly true for Bollywood romcoms. Although, I think I'm the only Bollywood head I know who ISN'T in love with "Jab We Met" (but that's another post for another day. Just give me Hum Tum and we can roll). Fact #4, this movie is an exception to the rule. I absoultey, positively love everything about it, even when I don't agree with what a character does. And it's directed by Ayan Mukerji. I'm physically incapable of hating any Mukerji (see Kajol and Rani above).
Fact #5, there are several reasons I chose Aisha. In my icon, she's reading a book instead of paying Sid (who is Ranbir Kapoor. RANBIR!! Super, super adorable Ranbir. She is stronger than I am) any attention. This is pretty much how she rolls all movie, so points for that. She makes awesome facial expressions. You know how much I love to look at and make faces, so points for that too. She is friends with a younger man, and he is noticeably younger (not in looks or actual age, but in actions, at least at the beginning), and I've been there too, so even more points for Aisia. But what I like most about Aisha is that her bravery and her failings aren't overly glorified. She left home, in her late twenties, to strike out on her own. To be a writer for a trendy magazine. She just walks into the interview and goes for it. She's not someone who considers herself brave. But she has made a choice, that what is scary doesn't outweigh what keeps her at home, and she just does it. And she's not preachy about it. It just...is. What's amazing is, Sid, young, young Sid, finds this equally amazing, and she is so focused that she doesn't see it. I also love how she's truly a friend to this young man, even when it's frustrating. Her points against his flaws are completely valid, but it comes from a place of kindness and love for him, and therefore, he listens...eventually. She even falls for her boss, who is, on paper, the perfect guy. It isn't until she dates him (several times, because, like me, she wants to make really sure, lol) that she realizes that something is off, with both him and her, and even relates it back to her relationship with Sid. I just love how she's brave without knowing it. She puts on her big girl pants and goes. That doesn't stop her from being human, from saying hurtful things and making mistakes she regrets in the immediate future. But she keeps going, and she even manages to fall in love with someone who likes her just the way she is. Aisha loves Aisha, and you can tell Aisha had to work at it. She's a work in progress, but she knows that the only way to live is to keep going forward. To acknowledge your triumphs and your defeats and take them both gracefully. That taking chances doesn't require a theme song or a movie moment. It just requires you to DO it and take whatever comes. Getting things done without fanfare. Aisha was doing what I wanted to do when I saw this movie and that's why I relate so much to her. How can I not love Aisha?
Click to viewRight, so subtitles for Hindi films are rarely great. My second career is going to be doing subtitles correctly for these films. This clips isn't that bad though.
So, yeah, totally my teaching moment for the week. Completely long winded and I'm pretty sure I only convinced myself to rewatch this movie this weekend, lol. At least that's not a total fail.