/ Brown Around Town
"Desi You, the largest collection of ORIGINAL SOUTH ASIAN
content online! Empower the Desi in you!"
February, 2007 / Volume 1, Issue 1
In This Issue
The Desi Accent-News Highlights
2006 Indo-American Film Festival (IAAC)
We Found Hiding Divya
Desi You Entourage
Honey This is Yummy
2007 Sneaky Peaks / Welcome to Brown Around Town! Desi You.com highlights the best in South Asian entertainment, lifestyle, spoken word, talent, and more. Brown Around Town brings you the latest Desi You news, original programs, and contests. You won't get bored. We promise.
The Desi Accent- News Highlights
In the Spotlight- Water reigns on Oscar night?
Cross your fingers. Deepa Mehta's film Water has been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category for the Oscars!
Oooh Oooh Look! Desi You has EXCLUSIVE interviews with actress Lisa Ray and director Deepa Mehta!! Don't miss it!

IS it INDIA'S YEAR? Or IS IT CANADA'S YEAR at the 2007 Academy Awards?Spotlight: WATER and Writer / Director DeepaMehta

Article by The Angry CriticAs soon as the nominations were announced, it was gratifying to know that the critics rose up and chose WATER as one of the best foreign films of 2006, not because of the fact that it was an Indian film, orbecause of the controversy behind the movie, but because it is the right choice!

WATER is a fantastic movie, and the right movie, in terms of content to represent India at the Oscars, but wait a minute, is it even an Indian movie at all? WATER, the movie's official entry comes from CANADA.What cruel fate is this for Indians around the world, except maybe the Indians in Canada? Already besmirched and led astray with false hopes of Oscar dreams was Amir Khan, the star of LAGAAN in 2001. A movie which was nominated from INDIA in the BEST FOREIGN FILM category, only to eventually lose to NO MANS LAND that year, but now WATER, a foreign language film in the native dialect of HINDI with English subtitles tobe represented by CANADA? Say it isn't so!But despite the cruel irony, that a movie focused on one of the most controversial subjects in Indian "pre-independence" era, Gandhian movement is ultimately a CANADIAN entry to get to the Oscars, nothing will derail the impact that will happen if this movie does win the OSCAR for BEST FOREIGN FILM.It will finally put Indian subject matter and Indian filmmakers in the forefront in terms of world cinema and signal to the foreign press a very important harbinger that most Indians who live around the world already have known for sometime. We do make films besides Bollywood films! And yes, as a general population of authors, scholars, filmmakers, and auteurs, know very much like you do, how to create engaging, serious content!If Deepa Mehta's WATER, is merely, the pebble splash in the ocean, then around the corner is the BOULDER, coming in the form of MIRA NAIR'S "THE NAMESAKE" perhaps for next year's Oscar race. Is it so ironic that both acclaimed filmmakers, MIRA NAIR, DEEPA MEHTA, along with their peer Gurinder Chada [BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM] have all enjoyed major distribution from FOX SEARCHLIGHT in the past two years?When this writer used to work over at 20th Century Fox, the buzz about India and China, and the emerging films and new wave filmmakers had already caught their attention, and this was five years ago!But this is 2007, and the first pebble has been cast officially, and it is WATER, and the movie carries with it, a potential DAM HOLDING surge of raucous popularity aimed squarely at thrusting INDIAN CONTENT squarely on the mainstream scene!And so WATER carried with it, an important mantle, a crest, if you will, of importance in terms of BREAKING THROUGH, finally and winning the OSCAR for BEST FOREIGN FILM?How good are the film's chances? I say very good, considering that this movie is coming off spectacular critical acclaim and the controversy of bringing this film to completion is almost as impactful as the subject matter of the film itself. Finally, it's the other films in the category of BEST FOREIGN FILM that perhaps blueprint the real ODDS on the success of WATER. Only the recent release of Guillermo Del Toro's "PAN'S LABYRINTH" which released recently to spectacular acclaim poses the real serious threat to WATER in this year's race.Despite this recent entry into the race, though, I do believe that WATER will EMERGE (ok had to throw in at least one pun) victorious come Academy Awards night and if it does, a new debate will RAGE, largely unnoticed by the rest of the world, but fervently among the Indian Community, did INDIA or CANADA win?

Let the games begin I say!

2006 Indo-American Film Festival Coverage

The Namesake Premiere at IAAC

Kal Penn does Desi You

Wish you were Mrs. Penn? We don't blame you.

Watch him on the red carpet as Desi You's Pratima Anae gets the scoop on his upcoming release "The Namesake."

Director Mira Nair Shares with Desi You

Yeap! You heard right. The critically acclaimed director of The Namesake dished with Desi You. You gotta see our exclusive Mira Nair interview!

We Found Hiding Divya

Panel Discussion with the cast of Hiding Divya

Don't let Hiding Divya be a hidden gem! Check out our chat with director Rehana Mirza and producer Rohi Mirza-Pandya.

Desi You Entourage

Bummed about missing the Rishi Rich concert in LA? Well we have just the cure. Join the Desi You Entourage! It's your golden ticket to the hottest parties and exclusive behind the scenes interviews! The Ladies of the Entourage cover the most high profile events from LA to NYC. Check out the Desi You Entourage Calendar so you too can attend exclusive events with your favorite DYE host! Rishi Rich Interview.

The Entourage wants you! Bring your smile, a pair of stilettos, and meet some stars!

Please email us at info@Desi You.com or send us a message on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/dyentourage

Honey This Is Yummy
The Angry Critic's Corner is Desi You's first original program with hosts Harish Rao and Kiran Shergill. (Yay!)

The Angry Critic's Corner has it all!

Frank n Fun Bollywood and Hollywood movie reviews?

Of course! Dhoom 2 Review

Funky guests? Yeppers!

Interviews with stellar South Asian filmmakers? Absolutely!

*Sizzle Sizzle*talent? Duh!

More Hot Hats by Harish? Gosh, we hope not! :P

Grab your popcorn and join the dynamic duo on www.Desi You.com or www.revver.com.

2007 Sneaky Peaks

Features Original Content Shows
Melanie K Show
Join Melanie, Miss India America on her journey to Hong Kong as she competes in the Miss Asia Pageant.
Is the coveted crown in Melanie's future?
Dum Dumm Dummm…watch and find out!

Pratima Anae Show

Are you destroying the punching bag at the gym? Have you been on a date with Ben & Jerry every night this week?

Ok. Breathe. Good news! Pratima Anae's going to have her very own dating advice show!

Bye bye Tyra. Hello Pratima!!

Rumor Has It

Want more behind the scenes dish at Desi You?

Read our blog! Rumor Has It You meet the team members (we are nifty umm yeah) and get the 411 on the latest events straight from our directors.

Random Factoid

Farnaz, our creative intern, once ran into a movie theatre and watched a movie (with a really boring guy) just because she was scared of the two big doggies on the sidewalk.

Extra! Extra! Get 10% off when you go to BadKarmaNYC.com (Secret Password - Desi You)
Extra! Extra! Get 10% off when you go to Omstream.com (Secret Password - Desi You1)
Farnaz Mohiuddin
Desi You