Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Not without my Daughter

This is one of those fantastic films which I got to watch.It was a thrilling and thought provoking in turns and had a solid story base,which kept the ball rolling throughout.Don't go by the reviews which do not do full justice to the storyline and just focuses on the acting of the actress Sally Field.
This film is based on the real life story of American Betty Mahmoody,who went to Iran with her Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody husband and daughter Mahtob.What was to be a short vacation during which she would get the chance to meet with her husband's family and understand the customs and traditions of his land,soon turned into a nightmare for her.He husband has already decided that they would stay in Iran as it would be good for the family and forces Betty to stay against her will,by going to extremes like confiscating her passport and threatening her that as per the Iranian law,the child will remain in Iran,even if Betty wants out of the marriage.How Betty plans her escape all the while under the watchful eyes of her husband and his family and the plight of many other American women in similar circumstances in Iran,is portrayed in a sensitive manner in this film.The films was shot in the US and Israel.
Alfred Molina,who plays the character of Sayed Mahmoody,has acted wonderfully throughout the film and the child actress Sheila Rosenthal,who plays Mahtob,beautifully portrays the culture shock,which a child experiences,when forced to embrace another culture.

While the first half of the film is slow paced and takes time to introduce us to the psyche of the characters,it is only in the second half of the film that the story proceeds in a lively pace and makes us sit through with our hands sweaty waiting for the next scene to play out.
While it can be argued that the culture of Iran and Islam has been portrayed to the extreme as being violent and unforgiving,it does reflect the radical difference of culture between the west and East.It is definitely a different film and one worth watching,just to have a glimpse of the other side of the globe,portrayed as in Iran.

Film name:Not without my Daughter
Language:English
Written  by:Betty Mahmoody
Directed by :Brian Gilbert
Cast:Sally Field,Alfred Molina,Sheila Rosenthal, Roshan Seth,

Outsourced - A different take on all things outsourced

I just watched "Outsourced" and was pleasantly charmed and disarmingly surprised,with the right blend of reality and fiction.If you read the various reviews,you will hear the phrase "a lot of heart" being there in the film.I would just like to add that I am from India and I had a chance to work as a customer service Rep in the USA,in Florida.I surely had to deal with the downside of having an accent.Hence the situations portrayed in the film made it dear to me.Okay,the story was tweaked a bit to the far end.But most of India portrayed here was the real India,which you do not see in films.It may make you decide that India is not worth visiting after all.Despite there being dirt and dust all around,the simple acceptance and friendliness that people bestow upon you is indeed warm.
Ok, back to the story,"Outsourced" deals with an American Todd Anderson,whose job is outsourced to India.How he goes to India to train people there and his take on India...the people,culture etc is told in a lighthearted way.There is Puro,his replacement,Asha,one of the charming women,he gets to meet and get acquainted with.It is no thrill to disclose the full story and spoil the surprise.
Lets just say that there are all sorts of unlikely situations,hardly ever encountered in the West.This film will be a definite eyeopener to the curry that makes India and the people in it.