Brothers and Sisters

I am not a professional TV reviewer, neither am I in nay way connected with scripting, dialogue writing or acting departments of soaps ( though I wish I could, but alas, there are as many things one can do in one's life), but I am all for quality TV watching. With all the free available time at my disposal, I am quite a keen TV watcher. Now, there was a soap, which was high on my wish list, and which I couldn't watch much because my hard-disk was full with all the three season of Grey's anatomy. The show was Brothers and Sisters. Now, god bless teh souls at Star Word wo decided to air this shown in India. The show has a stellar cast and two of favorite actresses viz Sally Fied and Calsita Flockheart. Calista is seen after her long hiatus, and with old episodes of Ally Mcbeal airing on Zee Cafe, it certainly has added to my fondness for her.

Brothers and Sisters is an altogether different show produced by the same guys as 'Alias', though it does feature a few actors from 'Alias' in important roles. And, yes, I almost forgot, the most important fact that it has a lead character playing a gay attorney. I know, it's so hard to get the above combination of gay + attorney ( anything related to do with brains in INDIA, If any guy disagrees and has brains, kindly drop me a message) when all the people who you meet either turn out to be working in a BPO or some shoddy fashion House. Speaking of fashion houses, I had watched entire jassi, and let me tell you that, I had huge expectations from Ugly Betty but it was such a damp squib. Jassi was much more interesting and entertaining. On the other hand, Ugly Betty looks like one of our saas -bahu soaps where a mystery woman schemes and plots to upstage the hero..so very balaji..they must sue these people.



So, I was talking about this whole Brother's and Sisters, and the reasons I like the show. First reason is that they shot in LA. Ohh, I love California weather and the whole sunny side of things..You don't get to see a single ugly frame. Secondly, I love families. I just love the fact that despite getting angry, fighting over, calling each other name, there will remain people who don't stop loving you. It sound so cliched, but to emphsize my point, one really realizes its importance when you don't have anybody to fight with, knowing that they will be there for you despite all that. Thirdly, I love Calista Flockheart ( I still don't know if I have got her name's spelling right. Google will be too much of a bother). She does not play Ally Mcbeal, but it'd hard to miss traces of here Mcbeal days. especially when she starts speaking real fast, and gets edgy about her relationships. she is a lovely actress, and I 'd like to see more of her..A little digression, Calista Flockheart auditioned for Teri hatcher's role in Desperate Housewives. I am glad that she didn't do that role, coz Teri is just so perfect.

Now comes the real clincher, the gay brother of Calsita, I don't like him per se ( in the sense I am not over the moon over him). But, it is such a relief to see someone playing gay role in a not stereotypical profession. He is not he best looking guy around, but its not as if you would not notice him if he were in a room. I know, I am sounding a little desperate housewives myself..maybe this obsession has been rubbed off from too much of ally Mcbeal,But who cares..I jsut wish there were more interesting people in this world.
ahhh..where are you, My Mr Right

Lessons from the past

I recently finished reading 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie. Having no background in African history or history of colonialism, I had picked up the book randomly. Now, I am glad that I picked up this book and got a different perspective on India and Pakistan because our situation was not much different at the time of partition, from what Nigeria had to face, albeit ten years later. The story is as relevant today as at any other time, where different vested interest want to break apart the country on religious, castiest, and regional lines.

For most of us in the Indian subcontinent, colonialism primarily meant our two hundred years of British rule and the adversity faced, or the painful partition independence brought upon. It was not so different for Nigeria, when it got it independence from British in 1960. The book details what a country afflicted by all the maladies that a newly found independent state would face after a prolonged colonial rule. This gives us an interesting perspective to compare the situation of Nigeria with India and Pakistan. Nigeria faced the same problem of religious and ethnic divide at the time of its independence. There were many tribes - Christian Igbo and Muslims Hausa - wanting to upstage the other while making sure their own tribe prosper. The civilian government was ousted and two Military coup followed by killings of thousands of innocent people. Igbo dominated south western Nigeria claimed independence, and created a new state named Biafra. Biafra was not recognized by other African countries except for few, and Nigerian government came down heavily on rebels and a lengthy civil war was started which took as many life from hunger as from bullets and air raids. Food supply was cut off and a whole generation was conscripted to achieve the freedom from enemy state. This war gave malnutrition a new meaning, and kwashiorkor- a condition caused by severe malnutrition- thousand of faces. In the end, Biafra lost and more than a million lives were lost.

I think there are so many lessons for each of us. The futility of war cannot be overemphasized, and today when India and Pakistan are both witnessing dissent from far flung corners for autonomy and self rule, it gives us a vantage point to look at their demands. North East has still remained a place far removed from politics of delhi and even after sixty years many people from mainstream India find it hard to accept them as anything but chinky. We had had secessionist movement in punjab and kashmir which took many lives and continues to do so. Why is is so hard for people to acknowledge the presence of other and prosper with them. The answers are not so difficult to find, if we care to look around.