Here are answers to the questions that don't really fit into our "About Us" page. While we wouldn't necessarily call this "frequently asked questions," we like to think these are the questions that people would, well, occasionally ask.
Q: Why do you all have fruit names?
A: That's a question we get asked a lot in real life (because we use the nicknames Kiwi, Mango and Papaya day-to-day). The answer is that a couple of years ago, Papaya off-handedly and nonsensically (as usual) asked Kiwi's boyfriend if he would rather talk to a Kiwi or a Papaya. When he said Kiwi, Papaya got (mock) upset. Mango came into the picture later as a reference to the movie Bend It Like Beckham (see, we liked Indians even then) and the line, "We can make even these mosquito bites look like juicy, juicy mangoes!"
Q: Are you Indian?
A: As Mango says, only a little bit desi at heart. We're all part American Indian (aka Native American), but we have no blood ties to India.
Q: Then how did you get into Hindi films?
A: We got into Indian-themed or Indian crossover films first, we think, with films like Bend It Like Beckham and The Other End of the Line. Then we collectively watched Bollywood/Hollywood and collectively had a WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?! experience, but other than the bizarre things like people dying while levitating (oh, yes, strange) we rather enjoyed it. Still, we had yet to be fully persuaded. Kiwi and Papaya subsequently watched New York, our first full-on Hindi film, and hated it. And then Mango's Asian-culture-loving roommate talked her into watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, not a week after she'd refused to see a Mandarin film because she wouldn't read subtitles. But Shah Rukh and Kajol had her from the second they showed up on screen, she brought the DVD back to Papaya, and the rest is history.
Q: Why Indian films?
A: That's a long answer, best answered here.
Q: Do you guys speak Hindi?
A: Mango says: Main thodi si hindi bol sakti hoon. Papaya says: Um...kya? Kiwi says: Err, no. The short answer is "not really." We're sort of learning it by proxy, but not really. Papaya knows an assortment of random words, and Mango owns a copy of Hindi Rosetta Stone and several dictionaries and phrasebooks but doesn't have time to study them much.
Q: What is this term "peepeeman" (or "peepeewoman") that you guys use?
A: The first facet of understanding this term is to understand that it's a sort of flippant joke and not meant to be offensive. It's a term we've used for years, way before we stumbled into Indian films. The basic concept of the peepeeman (and, less often, the peepeewoman) is that it's the "the other man" or "the other woman" in the storyline, the alternate love interest that we're not supposed to like (or that we just don't like). It's the person we don't want the protagonist to fall for or end up with. We have a label for films in which the "peepeeman prevails."
To ask us a question, drop a comment on this page or on any post. :)
Q: Why do you all have fruit names?
A: That's a question we get asked a lot in real life (because we use the nicknames Kiwi, Mango and Papaya day-to-day). The answer is that a couple of years ago, Papaya off-handedly and nonsensically (as usual) asked Kiwi's boyfriend if he would rather talk to a Kiwi or a Papaya. When he said Kiwi, Papaya got (mock) upset. Mango came into the picture later as a reference to the movie Bend It Like Beckham (see, we liked Indians even then) and the line, "We can make even these mosquito bites look like juicy, juicy mangoes!"
Q: Are you Indian?
A: As Mango says, only a little bit desi at heart. We're all part American Indian (aka Native American), but we have no blood ties to India.
Q: Then how did you get into Hindi films?
A: We got into Indian-themed or Indian crossover films first, we think, with films like Bend It Like Beckham and The Other End of the Line. Then we collectively watched Bollywood/Hollywood and collectively had a WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?! experience, but other than the bizarre things like people dying while levitating (oh, yes, strange) we rather enjoyed it. Still, we had yet to be fully persuaded. Kiwi and Papaya subsequently watched New York, our first full-on Hindi film, and hated it. And then Mango's Asian-culture-loving roommate talked her into watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, not a week after she'd refused to see a Mandarin film because she wouldn't read subtitles. But Shah Rukh and Kajol had her from the second they showed up on screen, she brought the DVD back to Papaya, and the rest is history.
Q: Why Indian films?
A: That's a long answer, best answered here.
Q: Do you guys speak Hindi?
A: Mango says: Main thodi si hindi bol sakti hoon. Papaya says: Um...kya? Kiwi says: Err, no. The short answer is "not really." We're sort of learning it by proxy, but not really. Papaya knows an assortment of random words, and Mango owns a copy of Hindi Rosetta Stone and several dictionaries and phrasebooks but doesn't have time to study them much.
Q: What is this term "peepeeman" (or "peepeewoman") that you guys use?
A: The first facet of understanding this term is to understand that it's a sort of flippant joke and not meant to be offensive. It's a term we've used for years, way before we stumbled into Indian films. The basic concept of the peepeeman (and, less often, the peepeewoman) is that it's the "the other man" or "the other woman" in the storyline, the alternate love interest that we're not supposed to like (or that we just don't like). It's the person we don't want the protagonist to fall for or end up with. We have a label for films in which the "peepeeman prevails."
To ask us a question, drop a comment on this page or on any post. :)
This is Kingston David, Relationship Manager for Sulekha US.
ReplyDeleteI happened to read your blog on Indian movies and was really impressed with your know how of Indian Cinema!
I would like to invite you to participate on the online community (IndiaPulse.Sulekha.com) created exclusively for the Indians in the US and Americans who would love to know more about India. You can reach to a group of faithful US-Indian audience who actively participate on our site. There is an exclusive Entertainment section which could interest you!
Please feel free to write back to me (KingstonEbenezarD@sulekha.net), if interested, so that I can brief you about the community and also guide you through the site.
We do not mind you sharing links back to your site and also we will be glad to share your articles on our Facebook page. Awaiting your reply eagerly.
Do you accept guest posts? I love your blog, and know an author who has just written a book about a Bollywood actress- curious if you'd be interested (but wasn't sure how to contact you guys!)
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteFor Bollywood inspired fashion and styles you can check www.karmaplace.com.
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