Aisha Review – Lost in Translation Piece of Shit
As the Abhay Deol-Big Mouth a.k.a Sonam Kapoor film Aisha is nigh upon us, we picked up Jane Austen’s Emma at our local library yesterday.
Unless you are a complete Bollywoodphobe, you do know that Aisha is an adaptation of Emma, set of course in these current wretched times in India.
Emma is one of only four books by Austen that were published in her lifetime (the others were Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park).
We’ve read a little over a fourth of the 396-page book and find it fairly engaging charming.
As some of you might be aware, Emma is a glimpse of country life as viewed from the vantage-point of the upper class rural gentry in early 19th century England. Needless to say, that is as distorted as the view Isha Ambani gets when she looks out of her family’s gazillion dollar Mumbai home.
In a Bollywood stuffed to the gills with incompetent actresses, it’s hard to think of anyone save Sonam Kapoor or Vidya Balan to essay the role of Emma with some degree of elan, even if it’s a desi version.
We’re wont to think this short passage is a succinct summary of Aisha:
Her father fondly replied, “Ah! my dear, I wish you would not make matches and foretel things, for whatever you say always comes to pass. Pray do not make any more matches.”
“I promise you to make none for myself, papa: but I must, indeed, for other people. It is the greatest amusement in the world! And after such success you know! [p.12]
While we still have many more pages ahead of us, we must acknowledge the vein of sly, impish humor that courses through the portions we’ve finished.
For our readers belonging to the distaff sex, here are a few pearls of wisdom, courtesy Emma of course:
I lay it as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to ‘Yes,’ she ought to say ‘No’ directly. It is not a state to be safely entered into with doubtful feelings, with half a heart. [p.46]
A woman is not to marry a man merely because she is asked, or because he is attached to her, and can write a tolerable letter. [p.47]
Oh! to be sure…it is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her. [p.52-53]
Whether we like Aisha or not, it’s fair to say that we find Emma an extremely interesting character.
We hope to complete the book in the coming days and will do an update to this post at the time.
By the way, our Mensaic mind has already guessed the ending although we have a lot of field still left to plow.
Is Emma the most delicious character that Austen wrought up in her rich imagination?
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Aisha Review – Lost in Translation Piece of Shit
Reading Aisha Oops Emma added by SearchIndia.com on
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@SI: “set of course in these current wretched times in India.”
Bull! I bet the story is not set in india. It must be somwhere, england, australia, canada or some other Caucasian country.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The story is likely set in India (Durgapur, Tarapore, Alipore, Sirpur or one of the other dusty towns in the hinterlands) although a few songs might have been filmed in Iceland or Namibia or any of the places in between.
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Jane Austen had a very engaging style of writing. Personally one of the quotes I found most interesting were the opening lines of Pride and Prejudice:
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. The first sentence of the above quote is truly classic. We’ve seen it before but it still does not diminish the joy each time we encounter it.
2. Here are some more good lines from Emma:
(All page nos from the Penguin Edition of Emma, 1996.)
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For all the heartache over Endhiran’s music, it appears the album is doing well in the international market. Its in the Top 2 in both US and UK in the world album section.
Not bad for an Indian album 🙂
http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10worldalbums.html
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Not bad for an Indian album
With 60 million Tamils drinking the Rahman Kool Aid, it’s hardly surprising.
Also noticed that it’s now available on iTunes instead of a separate application that you can listen to only on iPhone/iPod Touch.
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Emma is my favourite Jane Austen character.
i’m re-reading the book as well to prep for Aisha tomm.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: i’m re-reading the book as well to prep for Aisha tomm.
That makes two schmucks.
99.9% of Bollywood fans couldn’t care less if it was an adaptation of Marquis de Sade’s Les 120 Journées de Sodome.
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hey SI.. off topic I found an hilarious video on youtube about the bathroom video fame horror show Trisha.. check it out..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezN8raeht5E
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Ruined our day. 🙁
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8hG7ecQniY&feature=player_embedded
came across this on FB……..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Watched the above video. Thanks.
But Chutiyas can profit from theft.
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On another crappy and interesting note, Julia Roberts said she is a practicing Hindu. She must be on a high when she took that decision.
Are Americans really in awe of Hinduism or what?
It’s as shitty as (may be perhaps less shitter. bah! it doesn’t matter anyway)
than the other violent Abrahamic cults.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: On another crappy and interesting note, Julia Roberts said she is a practicing Hindu.
And we’re practicing Satanism. 😉
2. You write: Are Americans really in awe of Hinduism or what?
The only thing Americans are in awe of is the $$ bill.
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