Skip to main content

Not the only white guy in Mumbai

Hi readers . . . and hi Mum! ;)

I've been watching some pretty heart-wrenching documentaries here at the Mumbai Film Festival. Watching docos seems to be a fast track to learning about the world. Many documentaries have an Indian element, but a couple stood out. I tend to make friends with the people who make films I like, so I'm pleased to say that Rajdeep Randhawa is now a close and personal friend of mine.

Rajdeep made a 47 minute documentary called, "Ek Tha Lal Pari." Shot mostly cinema verite, it documents the problematic relationship between a eunuch and her lover. It's an on and off relationship, but the two are still very much in love and have lived together for 20 years! In India, eunuchs live in enclaves. They are ostricised by society, but also revered and considered to have many spiritual powers. So they earn money by performing special rituals at marriages, births, deaths etc. It is a special honour to be blessed by a eunuch. To cross one would result in bad fortune. In one scene, a ritual blessing is performed by several eunuchs at a married couple's home. Anyway - I won't say what happens in the end, but it was an excellent first film.

I also met a British filmmaker who worked in the BBC Documentary Film Unit for 30 years before deciding to settle in India. Holy Men and Fools, documents a journey through the Himalayas with a living Baba (Indian spiritual leader) and his disciples. It's like a mini-quest, but with interesting characters. He should get a few sales with this, so look out for it.

Y'know, it's pointless describing films when I'm staying here in Mumbai. The other day I walked into a Chai (Indian tea) shop alone and several guys stood up to let me have the booth. Hot Chai was immediately set down on the table and everybody suddenly became very considerate. I thought, Uh oh - here we go. I'm about to get ripped off. But when I paid for it, the guy asked for 10 rupees - just like he had with everyone else. I left feeling a bit confused. Why all this red carpet treatment? I get stared at a lot. Often I'm the only white guy walking. But it's not intimidating. Is it curiosity?

I asked my Indian friends. At first I thought it was because white = cash. But it's much more complicated than that - and it goes right back to the British. Many people in India feel that the government isn't doing its job properly. It's a big job, but there are problems with corruption etc. Apparently most Indians (these guys reckon 90% of Indians) feel that India was better when teh British were here. Things ran smoothly - there was organisation, people had a place and there were fewer poor.

White guys are considered to have this extra thing about them. Some people think that they are more intelligent, better educated, wiser and that they have the skills to run things better. More acumen. By treating whites with respect, it is thought that a bit of this extra stuff will rub off on you. As Indians are very religious people, this ties in well.

It's all about luck, karma and anything is possible here . . .

(to be continued)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hope you learn a lot while over in India.

Your blogs are very interesting.

M
Anonymous said…
I've read all your blogs since Day 1. Have you ever thought to write a book other than make films?

L
Unknown said…
Jamees, I suggest you stay on for Experimenta. Its a great film festival.
Mr Trivia said…
Greetings Ed,

I've been reading your blogs on Mumbai and as M has said - it's very interesting. (And enjoyable).

Catch for the unedited highlights back in Perth.

Cheers,

Mr Trivia
Anonymous said…
we wish to treat the guests walking to our door as "ATITHI DEVO BHAV" (This is in Sanskrit Language) it means- "The Guest is the Form of God".
Anonymous said…
Thank you for sharing your visit to india with us. It is an interesting read, however, you have mentioned that 90% of indians think that india was better under British rule. Well i would like to differ on that, because INDIA has never been this strong before....Also commenting on an Indian giving Superior treatment to a NON INDIAN over an INDIAN. I think it is more of an human tendency (read curosity) to know about a person who looks and sounds different.
objectman said…
Well, that's an interesting take. Sorry about he hyperbole.

Popular posts from this blog

I've got a really good idea for a film . . .

Phil commented on that last piece. I forget that people actually read these things. I assumed you were all lazy and illiterate ;) Yes . . . as Phil says . . . we have taken time to write this screenplay. And it's depressing to think about it. Sometimes I feel like Marshall in Absolutely Fabulous . Marshall went to Hollywood 20 years ago to develop a screenplay with a studio. People in various episodes ask him how it's going. He usually has an actor attached, or a big producer, or an out-of-work director . . . No doubt Jennifer Saunders has met a few of these people . The industry is teaming with writers working on a screenplay. Until a screenplay becomes a film - it's only a blueprint - not considered an art form in itself. And yet it takes such a long time to write one. When people ask me what I do - I answer web designer . It's my knee-jerk, "pat" response. It's also less problematic and gets me more $work than if I say, "filmmaker".

The Three by Five Card Index System

Here's another approach to writing your screenplay. The screenwriter's friend. Introducing the infamous Three by Five Card Index System . Wow! How can I get one? In my case - I made it. What it amounts to is this: Three 90cm x 40cm sheets of chipboard hinged together so that the whole thing stands like a concertina on a table or floor. Every 5cm or so down, I have drawing-pinned small cardboard hinges (triangles if you will) made from old file dividers. These become placeholders for your cards. A couple of bunches of 3 inch by 5 inch index cards (available in packs of 100 at any newsagency) and there you have it. A sure fire way to make your screenplay bubble to the top of the pile . . . Not. But it's a tool and writers need their tools. Cool. How does it work? As you can see - each act has three mini-acts in it (fitting in with Australian script theorist Linda Heys' Second Act Story ). Or rather - going one step further and suggesting that all three acts have a begi

The Drug That Killed River Phoenix

This article was going to be about a new drug I'm on called Duomine , but as I knew very little about River Phoenix (aka the vegan Jimmy Dean ) I thought I'd swat up on what's really going on behind that brain-worm ditty. I'll talk about Duomine another time. The song line I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix is from Aussie alternative band TISM's tasteless 1995 single (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River - and it's a bit cheap, frankly. The single's cover shows a mock-up of River's tombstone and was released shortly after his death. TISM were well-known for criticisin Imperial Hollywood and US pop culture, but they were masters when it came to borrowed interest marketing. More about these guys later. River Bottom's Awkward Life In 1944, River's mother Arlyn was born to a Jewish family living in the Bronx. When she finished school, she married a computer programmer but quickly grew bored of her secretarial life. In 196