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 NON-FICTION

The Perils of Being Moderately Famous

Soha Ali Khan

Published: December 12, 2017

Publisher: Penguin India

Pages : 256 (paperback)

It seems every Bollywood actor, at one point of time, sees the need to come out with a book—on their spectacular flashbulb-lit lives, how they beat the odds for a comeback, or even a diet book, if nothing else. But Soha Ali Khan’s debut book ‘The Perils of Being Moderately Famous’, a collection of personal essays, doesn’t feel like an actor, one who belongs to such an illustrious family for that matter, boasting and bragging about life and its luxuries. Instead, as she recounts what it was like growing up as the daughter of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Sharmila Tagore, and being Saif Ali Khan’s sister, and Kareena Kapoor’s sister-in-law, Soha, with her wit and self-deprecating humor, narrates things so refreshingly that it makes her relatable, despite her star status. The book feels like a one- on-one conversation with the writer.

As a part of some notable and some forgettable films, Soha is what you could call ‘moderately famous’. But as Asian Age rightly noted, “Star­dom may have gone to the brother but grace seems to be a legacy received by Soha”, and it’s the grace with which she has penned her book that makes it such a delightful read. This is one memoir that’s not in your face, heavy with ‘brutal honesty’ and ‘frankness’ that feel forced.

She’s not trying to get you to like her or think well about her through her writing. She’s simply telling you her story. The ease with which she talks about those one off date nights and serious affairs and then her college life and foray into acting makes you wish the chapters were a bit longer. Life could definitely use a little bit more of her wit and insight.

And while she makes you laugh time and again, there are also moments in the book that are stir­ring and get you thinking. Bits where she talks about her father and her relationship with him as well as the pain of losing a parent whom she loves and respects in equal measure make you take a moment to remem­ber all the people and things you hold dear in your life.

What’s also remarkable about the book is that nothing feels over the top and there have been no attempts to sensationalize things. That is not Soha’s style. She is all about keeping it simple, humorous, and classy as she shares her personal expe­riences with warmth and a lot of integrity while offering some nev­er-seen-before images of her family, childhood, and her daughter Inaaya. Reading ‘The Perils of Being Moder­ately Famous’ affirms the fact that experiences are universal and that you don’t have to be famous, even moderately so, to enjoy the little things in life and be grateful for what you have.

 Comedy

Gaja Baja

CAST: Anupam Sharma, Sushil Sitaula, Barsha Siwakoti, Gopal Aryal

DIRECTION: Ganesh Dev Panday

*** 3 stars

A pure stoner comedy was long overdue in Nepali cinema. So when writer/director Ganesh Dev Panday announced he was making a film called ‘Gaja Baja’ about Nepali potheads, I was instantly curious. But it took the makers two years to release the film because of their long battle with Nepal’s Film Development Board. Apparently board members felt that the use of gaja (hashish) in the film title promoted drug use and asked the makers to change the title. The case was finally sorted and the film was granted an adult certificate and released all over the country with its original title.

I’m happy to say that Gaja Baja is a genuine genre piece. It sets its protagonists into an action- com­edy rollercoaster, in the vein of the popular ‘Harold and Kumar’ series and Seth Rogen-starrer ‘Pineapple Express’. But the film’s “one day in the life of two potheads” narrative is more similar to 1995’s Friday, a cult stoner comedy starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.

Gaja Baja wholeheartedly adheres to the genre tropes. But as it is the first of its kind movie rooted in our own Kathmandu, it feels fresh and different from other regular Nepali films.

As mentioned earlier, the movie tells the story of a day in the life of two pothead slacker friends: Gorey (Sushil Sitaula) and Dadhey (Anupam Sharma). We never know their real names or their detailed backstory, only that Gorey has a dominating father, who feels his son hasn’t done anything in life to deserve milk tea in the morning. Dadhey’s parents too have given up on him. Yet the two are least both­ered about what their parents make of them or about getting jobs. They spend each day with one ambition: getting high.

But this particular day isn’t look­ing good; they have to scour the city’s every nook and cranny to get some weed. This day-long weed hunt brings them in contact with many colorful people and puts them in sticky situations.

Anupam Sharma as the dim-wit­ted Dhadey scores high on the laugh­ter meter. He embodies Dhadhey’s slacker sensibilities so well that he makes the character lovable. He shares a brilliant chemistry with Sitaula’s Gorey.

They feel real and convincing as they fully embrace the lingo and mannerism of potheads. However, their friendship’s spirit called for a smoother ending than the mes­sage-laden ending we get.

Ganesh Dev Panday’s previous offering ‘Manjari’ (2013) had met with an instant backlash when it was discovered that the film was a shot-by-shot remake of a South Indian movie.

He pokes fun at himself in Gaja Baja’s opening credits when he quotes Quentin Tarantino: “I steal from every single movie ever made.” While Manjari dimin­ished him as a plagiarist, his latest film will definitely help him erase that image. He has showed much can be achieved with a limited bud­get, a small setting (most of the film is shot around Mangal Bazar, Shankhamul and New Baneshwor) and a small crew.

Gaja Baja builds its comedy on irony and frustration. The two characters’ trash talking and childish activities are also watchable. All in all, it’s a simple, light-hearted comedy without any depth to its characters. It will, nonetheless, hold you attention for the full 90 minutes

The name says it all. CALM occupies a quiet area inside the Tangalwood premises, near Gahanapokhari Tangal.

With plenty of parking space and both indoors and outdoor seating options, the restaurant offers a variety of multi-cuisine dishes and an assortment of drinks.

From breakfast with a vari­ety of coffee choices, to din­ner, CALM covers it all for you. It is also a popular venue for events like birthday par­ties, corporate parties, talk programs, concerts and art exhibitions.

To add to the charm of CALM, there is a night club called Club 25 Hours almost right next to it where you can party and jive till the wee hours of night.  

THE MENU

Specials:

Chicken Sizzler

Lamb Chops

Mango Chicken

Opening hours

8 am to 11 pm

For reservations

01-4443904

The world of advice is a crowded space. Everyone has an opinion about everything and every­body seems to know what’s best for you. And a quick look down the self-help aisle at your local bookstore proves that for every problem you have many people out there have ‘just the right’ solution. But if there is one person you would enjoy lis­tening to, then it’s probably Mark Manson. He doesn’t just tell you how to live a good life by identifying what’s important and what’s not, but is so brutally honest about his own problems that being able to relate takes away half your worries.Now, while not giving a fuck may seem simple on the surface, it’s a whole new bag of burritos under the hood. I don’t even know what that sen­tence means, but I don’t give a fuck. A bag of burritos sounds awesome, so let’s just go with it.

This is just an example of the kind of lines Manson’s not-so-subtle book on letting go of everything that’s not important in your life is filled with. And that’s what makes reading the book such a delightful experience. But despite the profanity, The Sub­tle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is actu­ally incredibly inspiring and deeply philosophical. Add to that the fact that Manson has a wicked sense of humor and you have a self-help book that feels like a heart-to-heart conversation with a friend where you are forced to reexamine what you really care about in life.

Manson argues that life is essen­tially an endless series of problems and the solution to one problem is merely the creation of another. He says life sucks for those who con­stantly try to get away from prob­lems. So, he suggests, instead of trying to find out how you can get rid of your problems, you just have to find problems that excite you, and those for which you are willing to make some sacrifices.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck could very well be the reality check you needed about confront­ing your problems, fears, and expec­tations, and learning when not to give a f*ck about them. Because, if Manson is to be believed, caring less about things is the only way to lead a good life. APEX BUREAU