Unlock with a look

iPhone X Commercial: Unlock with a look ft Bollywood song sample by @petecannon #ListenToRadha #iPhoneX #UnlockWithALook

My son has recently mastered the game of Uno so we typically sit down after dinner to play as a family. The tv is usually playing in the background, tuned to some harmless network channel, mostly as a light source in an otherwise dimly lit living room (you know, for ambiance). Recently, during one of our intensely competitive rounds of gameplay, I heard this distinctly Desi sounding song coming from the tv, and glanced up to see this iPhone X commercial.

I immediately hit rewind (thank you Xfinity X1) and Shazam’d the commercial, confirming my initial hunch. The wordless ad features a young woman unlocking various items with just a look, alluding to how amazing it is that the iPhone X is able to be unlocked with facial recognition (Full disclosure: I have an iPhone X and the Face ID only works about 60% of the time) all to the early 80s era, Bollywood pop hit, inspired song “Bang Bang” by Pete Cannon.

He’s British which explains the Indian music, ’cause we all know that England continues to be the motherland for all Desis. The cover art features a mendhi inspired drawing with the author’s name and track title running across it. I can’t seem to find much more about him online, so if anyone knows what his connection is to the Brown world or how he happened to stumble upon this sample, I’m curious to know more!

The YouTube page includes the credit: The track “Bang Bang” features a sample of “Meri Nazar Hai Tujh Pe’” sung by Asha Bhosle music by R.D. Burman and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi licensed courtesy of Saregama PLC. The original song itself borrows some influence from Spanish Flamenco which of course is par for the old school Bollywood course; they are well known for “borrowing” influence in their songs/films. Also, the movie it was in is called “The Burning Train“. This just gets weirder and weirder!

Advertisement

The Tiger Hunter

Danny Pudi in "The Tiger Hunter"
Danny Pudi in “The Tiger Hunter”

There is so much great work being done by film makers and actors outside of the realm of Bollywood and I want to do my part in helping them succeed. This will be the first in a series of posts about independent movies. As I watch them, I’ll update the post to include my review or thoughts.

 

Plot Summary: A young Indian man relocates to 1970s Chicago to become an engineer, but when his job falls through, resorts to an elaborate charade with misfit friends in order to woo his childhood sweetheart.

The Tiger Hunter deals with my favorite topic: the Indian-American Immigrant experience, and takes place in my favorite city – Chicago! Also, the movie features my favorite Chicago Desi Actor, Parvesh Cheena. Go see the movie and leave a comment below with your thoughts!

Read this article for insights from The Tiger Hunter‘s director, Lena Khan, and why this movie is so important for the Indian-American community or this one in Teen Vogue on being a South Asian Muslim in Hollywood.

Karan Soni, on “How To Win An Oscar”

Loving all things Desi and American, seeing Karan on the promo spot piqued my curiosity so I found the video and Googled who was the actor.

The 89th Annual Academy Awards a.k.a. the Oscars are on this Sunday and I plan on putting the kid to bed early so I can not only watch the ceremony but listen to all the speeches and revel at the performances. It’s always exciting to hear how those speeches pull from current events and might influence pop culture. I’ve long been a movie buff and with the Oscars being the ultimate “who’s who” of actors and movies for the year, I make it a point to be at home, alone, to watch it every year. I’ve already told my husband that we’re getting take out and not leaving the house, lest I miss even a moment!

In anticipation of the show, ABC has been running promo spots with host Jimmy Kimmel. One in particular, inspired this post. Jimmy Kimmel walks us thru his guide on how to win an Oscar while actor Karan Soni is acting the steps out in the background.

Loving all things Desi and American, seeing Karan on the promo spot piqued my curiosity so I found the video and Googled who was the actor. Turns out Karan has been quite busy in Hollywood and is going to be in many upcoming, high profile projects. He made his mark as the nerdy tech in a series of AT&T commercials then played small roles in Deadpool and Ghostbusters. Currently he’s a series regular in Starz’ Blunt TalkHe’s also going to be in the next season of FX’s breakout hit Fargo, due to be out later this year.

What a banner year with (my fav) Riz Ahmed and Dev Patel winning BAFTAs and hopefully Oscars too! I see good things for young Karan Soni as well.

Watch Recap of South Asian International Film Festival on Zee TV

Zee TV will be playing a telecast of NYC’s South Asian International Film Festival on Saturday, January 14th at 5:30 EST.

South Asian International Film Festival
Zee TV replays SAIFF on 1/14

 

The 13th Annual South Asian Film Festival was held in New York City on November 30 – December 4, 2016. Check out the awesome films and talent showcased at the event!