Interpreting Film Noir: Sidney Pollack’s The Interpretor and Alfred Hitchock’s Psycho
Saw The Interpreter. Caught it at Fame, Andheri, where, I’m relieved to report, the projection is just as good as ever (I hadn’t been there for a few months, and if you recall, I grumbled recently about how Fun Republic’s projection has deteriorated). Now, for some people the big name in that movie is Nicole [...]
Stephen King & Me: An unfinished introduction from an unpublished book
This one is part of the unfinished introduction to a non-fiction book I was to write on Stephen King. It was meant to be part of the Pocket Essentials series, a set of little pocket-sized books, all exactly 100 pages, published in the UK. I’d earlier written a Bollywood Pocket Essential, which sold quite well. [...]
DarthMix: The Music Album Created and Mixed by Mr. Vader Himself
Hi there. This is your not-so-friendly neighbourhood (neighbouring galaxy, that is) Imperial Commander, Darth Da Rockin’ Vader here. I needed a change of pace on the music front. Something that would shake things up, be unpredictable, yet be pacy, throbbing, circulation-enhancing. (…As you might guess, I’m writing a major battle sequence!) So here’s what I [...]
The Population Problem: A short story
(This one was written about ten years ago, possibly before that. In any case, it features the same series character from a previous story I posted earlier on this same blog, Flesh Songs. And she even featured in her own novel, The Iron Bra, published in 1993. Today, with Ram Gopal Varma’s realistic Mumbai underworld [...]
Wassup: Notes on recent films, music, reading…
Saw Fantastic Four on the weekend, at Fame Adlabs. I don’t know if this is just my imagination, but the projection at Fun Republic just isn’t up to the mark anymore. Maybe it wasn’t, from the very beginning, but it certainly seems worse now. I’ve noticed dirt in the projector gate, fibres, out of focus [...]
“For 500 years, others spoke for us”: Native American author Craig Womack in conversation with Ashok Banker
This interview appeared earlier on Rediff.com. I can’t say I’m any kind of expert on Native American literature – far from it – but I have read a few texts. What intrigued me then, and still does, is that Native American literature, while being the authentic voice of a near-extinct people, is judged almost entirely [...]
Now, go make your own Godfather: Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar and beyond
Saw Sarkar this weekend. For those of you who don’t know, I’m an inveterate Ram Gopal Varma fan. I’ve been following the man’s career for a while now, and make it a habit to watch any film by him on the first weekend of its release. Not only because I like his work so damn [...]
Strangers with Scalpels (and Keyboards): Who are the best bestselling medical thriller authors in the biz?
Another oldie-but-goldie (I hope) from my Rediff.com days. This one’s about medical thrillers. I haven’t read a new one in years, but note that Michael Palmer and F. Paul Wilson are still turning them out. BOOK CHAAT by Ashok Banker Strangers with Scalpels Beware the men and women in white, advises Ashok Banker What is [...]
Three avatars of Ecstasy: Sex, Religion, and…?
This is another of my old media columns, written in one of my more tongue-in-cheek moods. I thought it would make a nice change of pace. :~) BRAND BAAJA Ashok Banker Three avatars of Ecstasy Last issue, I wrote about prophets of the media age. A day later, I learn that Deepak Chopra is writing [...]
‘Tis the tale, not he who tells it: Why the Ramayana is greater than any writer
Here’s a curiosity I found in my old files. A column I wrote as (relatively) recently as 2000, published in my weekly Book Chaat column on Rediff.com. Guess what it’s about? The Ramayana. Now, this is during the same period that I was reading extensively in the ancient epics, history, etc. But as you can [...]
The Epic India Group Returns!
Well, you asked for it. And here it is. The Epic India Group is back again. It’s been a long hiatus, longer than expected. But hopefully, it’s been worth the wait. Those of you who are wondering, what’s this Epic India thingie, well, it’s simple. It’s an email discussion group for anybody who enjoys discussing [...]
Reader loses control, injures 2 in Mumbai: Or, why I’m not accepting email from readers anymore
It’s a well-known fact that authors don’t take criticism well. When confronted with a reviewer’s opinion of their book, they’re apt to go off the edge, frothing at the mouth with anger and self-righteous indignation. Often, their frustration is justified. Critics can be brutal at times, getting personal about authors’ characters, lives, even their families. [...]
Vertigo revisited: Reader and critical reviews of Ashok’s semi-autobiographical novel Vertigo
Vertigo: A novel by Ashok Banker Featured Comment by Amit Varma, on his popular blog India Uncut Banking on passion Ashok Banker, in an interview with Sonia Faleiro, says: I don’t think I’m a very talented writer, but I have passion. What I lack in stylistic or linguistic dexterity, and sheer artistry, I make up [...]
The Armies begin their march: Indian Express and Telegraph pick Armies of Hanuman in their best new books lists
This little snippet on Armies appeared in The Indian Express, New Delhi, on Sunday, July 3, 2005. It’s part of an interesting piece on new books, Indian and foreign. So I was in good company. Take a look at the full article by clicking on the blog-post title (above). And for those of you who [...]
“I don’t think PR does **** to sell books” : Ashok’s Tehelka interview
These are excerpts from an inteview I did with Sonia Faleiro for Tehelka, which appeared in the issue dated July 2, 2005. I was pleasantly shocked for a change to see a journalist report my words almost exactly as I said them, without watering them down or subverting them in any way. I’m known for [...]
