PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THREE ARTICLES http://www.siliconvalleyguru.com/guruhub/mod_channel/C_Week.asp?HeadTitle=Reviews+of+the+Week&Menu=Green%20Card%20Fever&Channel_Id=bollywood&Art_Id=1673&Component_Id=Comp1&Cat_Id=0#1673
MOVIE REVIEW: GREEN CARD FEVERPLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR THREE ARTICLES
Feel good movie and acting Green Card Fever: 100 minutes- Romance, Comedy and Drama Actors: Vikram Dasu, Purva Bedi, Deep Katdare, Kaizaad Kotwal, Robert Lin etc Crew: Director/Producer and Writer Bala _Raj_Rajasekharuni
, Music: Peter Sears Executive producer: Vijay and Sheena Vaidyanathan
The movie “Green Card Fever” is the usual story of an immigrant from India dreaming of economic prosperity, with a naive and ideal concept of America, with an added twist of Illegal immigration, supported by a host of believable characters drawn from the Indian community in USA. The movie “Green Card Fever” opened this week on August 22 to limited theater engagements across USA, targeting the Indian-American audience. As Murali’s (Vikram Dasu) immigration status becomes illegal-visa expiry- his first priority is to get a Green Card and become legal. Reality bites, when he is faced with a corrupt system and lots of discrimination. Struggling to survive, Murali is forced to keep up a facade of affluence to his family and friends in India.
A host of characters ranging from love interest Bharathi (Purva Bedi) a second-generation Indian American woman and an idealistic immigration Sikh lawyer Omjeet (Deep Katdare) - add flavor to the mix. With other characters like Paresh, a businessman; Ram, a happy fraud, innocent Shobhu, taxi driver Patel; and Gandhi, the idealist, all follow - to make this movie a treatise on the fever gripping immigrants, trying to get a Green Card in the USA by any means. In the process, Murali learns about his own values and belief system, as he struggles to survive in his newly adopted ‘land of dreams’.
Purva Bedi and Deep Katdare (American Desi) have some experience on the silver screen, and this is evident, although Purva Bedi’s portrayal as a South Indian woman leaves much to be desired. Even her parents do not seem to match her in the movie. The music composition score (Peter Sears) was done mostly in the USA and was fine although uneven in some places.
While Green Card Fever opened to mixed reviews, with the insider newspaper Hollywood Reporter all but killing it, the prestigious Los Angeles Times was much easier in its review of the movie. An informal poll of movie watchers in the Bay area- right after seeing the movie - gave a thumbs up to Murali (Vikram Dasu)- who needs to work a bit on his emotional scenes. Movie-goer Vijay Sharma of Sunnyvale said, “Murali is a believable character and this is the right launch of Vikram’s career as an actor.”
Writer/Director Bala Raj said he cast Vikram’s the lead role in the movie, “as he was exactly right for the role.” Dasu and Bala were classmates at University of Wisconsin, while pursuing a Masters degree in Performing Arts. Overall, a better made movie among the recent genre of Indian-American movies, with much appreciation for the debuts of Director/Writer Bala Raj and actor Vikram Basu. According to Venkateswara Lu of IMC-6 theater, Dasu has already been spotted by mega movie director Ram Gopal Verma for a future movie.
“The film is very enjoyable, crisp and the screenplay sticks to the story, which is very rare in these kinds of niche movies,” said Rupakshi Kapur of Pleasanton.
Jaywalking Tickets in California-targeting Indian-Americans?
Fremont, CA: Rayudu Vrudhula is about to celebrate his 70th birthday soon. He has been in the USA for over forty years. At the recent Festival of India on August 16, 2003 held in Fremont, California he received a jaywalking ticket citation for $96 from the motorcycle division of the Fremont Police Department. And he is upset.
“Never in my lifetime have I ever received a Jaywalking ticket, except in Fremont-where entire Indian families were given tickets. I had hoped for some assistance in crossing the street being a Senior Citizen, instead I received a citation.” said Vrudhula who has served as a member of the Planning commission in Austin, Texas.
Several people called and e-mailed festival organizers to complain about the tickets. Several like Vrudhula and others allege targeting of the Indian community and also addressed their concerns to the next city council meeting on Tuesday, September 2.
While numbers are still being counted, the number of tickets issued-mostly on August 16 - varies from 40 to about 100, for illegally crossing Walnut Boulevard, across from a popular parking lot for the Festival of India in Fremont.
Two of the Festival of India organizers, Chinmoy Roy, who ran unsuccessfully for Fremont School Board and Yogi Chugh, who informally advises the Fremont Chief of Police Craig Steckler about the Indian community on a regular basis; have agreed to take the lead to meet with city officials and the Police department of Fremont.
The Fremont police Sgt. Sheila Tajima-Shadle has been reported as saying that the same number of tickets that is, 100 tickets were also issued at the Fremont Arts and Wine Festival in July with about 400,000 attendees. The total attendance at the two-day Festival of India was no more than 15,000. Police officials report that they were trying to do their job after one pedestrian was hit while trying to cross the street illegally at the festival last year, and that they have to weigh public safety over upsetting those who were ticketed.
Chinmoy Roy reported at the Federation Of Indian Associations (FIA-NC) meeting on Wednesday, August 20 that Councilman Steve Cho, a regular invitee to the festival parade, was quite upset at the high number of tickets issued and offered to cross the street in an act of civil disobedience on the day of the event but backed off from the symbolic gesture.
While most members of the community agreed that street safety laws were being broken, they had hoped for some latitude, as this was a day of celebration. Many also faulted the organizers for not working with the Police department and providing for public safety and safe crossing. Many saw this as a result of cost cutting moves by FIA- including inside the Festival premises - where there was no shade for attendees in front of the main stage - at all - in spite of scorching heat throughout the two days.
Sam Rao http://www.siliconvalleyguru.com/guruhub/mod_channel/C_Search_Art_Det.asp?Channel_Id=news&Q=The%20grass%20is%20greener%20for%20Green%20Card%20Fever&Art_Id=1691 Green signal for CRY’s “Green Card Fever”
Sunnyvale, CA: The movie “Green Card Fever” starring Vikram Dasu, Deep Katdare and Purva Bedi, was released across the country this weekend, in limited theater engagements, to received quite favorable reviews. In the Bay Area, C.R.Y-Child Relief and You, a well known children’s welfare non-profit organization, tied up with the IMC-6 theaters in Sunnyvale and held a successful fundraiser at a special screening on Saturday, August 23, 2003.
After a year’s inactivity, CRY America Inc has swung back into action with several centers around the country. “We launched a Penny Drive on August 15 and have followed it up with (this) movie fundraiser,” said Dilip Khadye, Bay Area coordinator for CRY America Inc., adding “With a dedicated group of about a dozen volunteers, Preety Puri coordinated this effort, and in a short space of time, managed to get about 150 people to show up for the premier event.” Venkateswara “Lu” the owner of Banjara restaurant and IMC 6 theater complex was pleased with the turn out. Lu helped by bringing the star of the show Vikram Dasu and first time director-writer of the movie Bala “Raj” Rajasekharanuni to make an appearance for the CRY fundraiser.
An informal poll of movie watchers-right after seeing the movie, gave a thumbs up to Vikram Dasu and the movie Green Card Fever. Film goer Vijay Sharma of Sunnyvale said “Murali (Vikram) is a believable character and the right launch for Vikram’s career as an actor.” This was concurred by Director Bala Raj, who said he cast his long time friend Vikram in the lead role- as “the role is exactly him”. Vikram and Raj were college mates while studying for a Masters degree in Performing Arts. While Vikram proceeded to get another Masters degree in Telecommunications and works as a Project Manager for MCI in Columbus, Ohio, says Bala, “I stayed true to my career in the performing arts field and I am happy that the producer Mr. Vaidyanathan contacted me for my first movie.
“CRY America is back in action,” says Dilip Khadye, “CRY plans to conduct regular awareness campaigns and fundraisers in the Bay Area, along with the dozen other Action centers in the USA.” Currently. CRY is looking forward to recruiting volunteers from all age groups as stated by volunteer Bhavesh Rana, “the core of CRY America is volunteer action - to give their time and skills, to raise resources for underprivileged children.”
Child Relief and You America, Inc. is a non-profit organization registered in the USA that exists for underprivileged children, especially Indian, providing them with hope and a means to look forward to a brighter tomorrow.