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In an interview, Isabel Allende said that she wrote ‘In the Midst of Winter’ in 2016 just when she was coming out of a divorce after 28 years of marriage and her agent, three close friends, and dog had all died. It was during these trying times that she came upon a quote by Albert Camus: “In the midst of winter, I finally found there was within me an invincible summer. For the summer that we all have inside to manifest we need to open the heart and take risks.” And that’s what the book is about: Three trau­matized people trapped in a snow­storm in Brooklyn, New York facing a life-and-death situation. By choos­ing to support one another and being kind, they ultimately discov­er the invincible summers that lie within them.The book opens with a minor car collision, between 60-year old schol­ar Richard Bowmaster and Evelyn Ortega, an undocumented Guate­malan refugee. This incident sets into motion a chain of events which forces the two and 62-year-old Lucia Maraz, a visiting professor at NYU, who is also Bowmaster’s coworker and tenant, to deal with a situa­tion that, to begin with, is not their problem, and which seems to be spiraling out of control by the min­ute. While ‘In the Midst of Winter’ mostly focuses on Richard, Lucia, and Evelyn’s seemingly ordinary lives, mystery and intrigue simul­taneously weave their way into the story, making what would otherwise have been a slow narrative into a gripping can’t-stop-till-I-know-what-happens-next read.

Lucia and Evelyn sometimes feel like extensions of Allende’s personal history as the author has said, time and again, that, for much of her life, she’s felt like a foreigner. And it seems here, through them, Allende is taking the liberty to make her readers understand what the immi­grant experience is like. Though there can be no better time to tell immigrants’ stories, you sometimes wish the writing were a little less flowery, allowing you to focus on the character’s lives instead of getting stuck in the imageries it manages to conjure.

Also, ‘In the Midst of Winter’ feels a little awkward because something doesn’t seem right and the ending too is a bit off. But, all in all, Allende deserves to be read because her sto­ries get you thinking about the many things you tend to take for granted in life.

 Who’d have thought the residential area of Dhapashi would get its own multi-cuisine restaurant that also serves blended coffee and imported pre­mium liquor? Well, the owners of the Maze Family Garden and Restaurant just did, and opened up a lavish venue right in the center of Dhapashi. Located near Triyog School (on the way to Greenland Chowk from Dhapashi), Maze is probably one of the biggest properties that serves as a restaurant and bar in the area. Indoor and outdoor seating options and ample parking space give Maze the advantage no other prop­erty in the area has. A little off-key location wise, the restaurant looks to capitalize on the purchasing power and the needs of Dhapashi residents. They won’t have to drive down to Maharajgunj or Lazimpat anymore; they can experience fine dining right next door.

Debutant director Zohn Yonzon’s “12 Sattais” tries to replicate the success of low-budget Bollywood comedies with both critical acclaim and box office success. In fact, if you dismiss a few Hollywood inspirations, you’ll find in 12 Sattais, written by Yonzon himself, a loose cross between “Delhi Belly” (2011) and “Fukrey” (2013). As in those movies, 12 Sattais has a cast of young actors, sets a premise for slapstick comedy with a bit of dark humor, and opens an opportunity to create a cult following for its characters and the film itself. Unfortunately, the film fails in all these efforts. With a feeble script backed up by equally weak actors, 12 Sattais is a complete waste of time for everyone involved in the project—and the handful of audience watching it.

A trio of luckless friends decide to name themselves after planets—Mars (Samir Shrestha), Mercury (Kaji Rana Magar), and Pluto (Abishek Nepal)—because, they believe in astrology!? Weird enough. Then one night of drunken madness lands them on a riverbank in the morning where they find a bag of money. Out of luck and unwise as they are, they do not know what to do with the dough and as events unfold, they land themselves in thick soup, stuck between two goons Helmet Devi (Aasmita Lamichhane) and Pandit Don (Samrat Thapa), and a corrupt cop. The film builds on their struggle to save their newfound treasure as well as themselves from the adversaries.

Absurdity in comedy is only natural and widely used. From comedy-pioneer Charlie Chaplin to our very own Dhurmus (Sitaram Kattel), all visual comedians put their characters into bizarre situations to ignite laughter in the audience. We wouldn’t laugh at what we consider normal, would we? Absurdity is what 12 Sattais, marketed as a ‘visual comedy’, tries to capitalize on, but it fails in execution. The cast lacks basic acting skills and one can see through their acting. The comic timing is so out of whack that even scenes which could have been funny with a better cast, are performed without conviction. Also, the script is flawed and many characters are left unexplained. We do not understand nor can relate to even one of them.

None of the actors stands out. With most of them debuting, this is a project they could have done without at the start of their career. The three lead characters—Mars, Mercury and Pluto—do nothing but run around in lethargically long chase scenes. We don’t know why “Helmet Devi” has that the name besides watching her and her henchwomen wearing helmets everywhere. Lamichhane does much to emulate Richa Chaddha’s “Bholi Punjaban” (Fukrey), but fails miserably with her under-par acting skills. We don’t know the story behind the half-naked, dhoti-clad Pandit Don. (Why is he a don? What does he do as a don?) We don’t know why his henchman “Bhyantey” wears a wooden mask depicting a radio on his head for the entire movie. We don’t know the story behind Pandit’s other two henchmen (who wear oxygen masks and carry oxygen cylinders on their backs, and sport green t-shirts with the print, “Kathmandu’s pollution causes more cancers thank smoking.”)

If fickle acting and plenty of ‘plotholes’ make the film unbearable, a few problematic liberties taken in the name of comedy makes it unwatchable. First, there is a joke about rape which goes along the lines of, “If we [men] touch women, it is rape and if women touch us, its miracle.” In these times when rape is becoming an epidemic, desensitizing rape by joking about it is devious. Also, Pluto once makes a sexual joke, hidden in guise of a public service announcement statement, in front of a minor. We’re left to wonder how crass a filmmaker can get!

Who should watch it?

We have reasons to believe this film won’t be in the theaters by the time this review is published. So if you haven’t fallen prey to its heavy social media promotions, you’d not have watched it. We’re happy for you.

Rating: 1 star

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Run time: 1hrs 56min

Director: Zohn Yonzon

Cast: Samir Shrestha, Abhishek Nepal, Kaji Rana Magar

Some stories stay with you no matter how long ago you read them. For me, “Not Without My Daughter” by Betty Mahmoody is that story. I read it when I was in high school and have never revisited it as it’s just too painful. But I can recall everything about it as if I only recently read it. This is the book that instantly comes to mind when someone asks me for a recommendation or to list my favorites.
The book narrates how a two-week family holiday in Tehran, Iran became a two-year battle for freedom. Though it ultimately ends in a daring escape, Betty’s account of how her Iranian-born husband duped her into visiting his homeland and then kept her and their daughter, Mahtob, prisoners within his family home is harrowing and, quite frankly, makes you weep.
Betty married Dr Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody in 1977 and the couple lived in Alpena, Michigan. Everything is perfect in their marriage up until her husband convinces her to go to Iran with him for a ‘short trip’. Once the promised two weeks are over, Sayyed refuses to return to the US and takes away his wife’s passport so that she too can’t go back home.

From 1984 to 1986, Betty and Mahtob, who was four when she left the US to visit her father’s home country, were held in Iran against their will. During this time, Sayyed becomes increasingly abusive and his family too make life difficult for Betty, insisting she stay inside at all times, and wear the chador if she absolutely has to go out. Her husband threatens to kill her if she leaves or, worse, take Mahtob away from him.
The book details Betty’s escape to Turkey with her daughter, through the snowy Iranian mountains—a journey of 800 km—with the help of many Iranians she meets along the way, and it even reads like a thriller in bits and pieces. The book also narrates Betty’s struggle to understand how her husband suddenly turned into a monster, as well as how she shielded Mahtob from all that was happening around her.
Fortunately, Betty makes it back to the US in 1986 and files for divorce.
However, there’s that lingering fear that Sayyed is on their trail and will manage to hunt them down and kill them, just as he promised. For years after their return, Mahtob played with an alarm button around her neck and Betty carried a gun. They lived under assumed names and kept their past a secret, until Betty wrote Not Without My Daughter and it was made into a film in 1991.
I have to admit that Not Without My Daughter isn’t well written. But then again it doesn’t matter. You will find yourself cheering for Betty as she plans her escape and, all the while, you are reminded of a mother’s unwavering love for her child.