Just got word that in Spike Lee's new film INSIDE MAN there is a Sikh actor who plays a Sikh bank hostage, and it provides a brief but potent glimpse into what Sikhs face currently. I really need to see this movie. I had heard that this was the most un-Spike Lee Spike Lee movie to come out, in that it was more about Hollywood action than social issues, but perhaps he was able to slip in a little social relevance into the mix.
Reviews of Waris Singh Ahluwalia in new film "Inside Man"
Spike_with_waris
One of the bank's hostages is Vikram (the excellent Waris Ahluwalia),
a young Sikh whom the robbers release early with a message tied
around his neck. The NYPD officers on the scene assume he's Arab and
that the message is a bomb. They rough him up, then swipe his turban.
When Frazier and Mitchell interrogate him later in a booth at a
diner, Vikram refuses to discuss the heist until his turban is
returned, then condemns his harassment. When he's done, Washington
says, ''But I bet you can still get a cab." In this single moment,
which is more vivid than almost all of ''Crash," we see the sad
modern hierarchy of American bigotry.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/03/24/inside_man_scores_big/?page=2
----------
As one might expect from the director of "25th Hour" and "Do the
Right Thing," Lee also takes time to explore the cultural landscape
of post-Sept. 11, 2001, New York. When a young Sikh - played with the
perfect level of exasperation by Waris Ahluwalia - is released from
among the hostages into the street, the cops worry less about his
safety than about the possibility he is of Arab descent.
http://zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/LIFESTYLE/603230309/1024
----------
And one of the hostages, tossed by his captors into the street to
deliver a message to police, immediately becomes a suspect by virtue
of the turban on his head.
"He's an Arab!" one SWAT officer yells out in fear.
"I'm a Sikh," he explains.
Finding out what's the difference -- and doing so with vibrant
dialogue and unsettling humor -- is what makes this a Spike Lee Joint
after all.GO!
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/entertainment/14166766.htm
Reviews of Waris Singh Ahluwalia in new film "Inside Man"
Spike_with_waris
One of the bank's hostages is Vikram (the excellent Waris Ahluwalia),
a young Sikh whom the robbers release early with a message tied
around his neck. The NYPD officers on the scene assume he's Arab and
that the message is a bomb. They rough him up, then swipe his turban.
When Frazier and Mitchell interrogate him later in a booth at a
diner, Vikram refuses to discuss the heist until his turban is
returned, then condemns his harassment. When he's done, Washington
says, ''But I bet you can still get a cab." In this single moment,
which is more vivid than almost all of ''Crash," we see the sad
modern hierarchy of American bigotry.
----------
As one might expect from the director of "25th Hour" and "Do the
Right Thing," Lee also takes time to explore the cultural landscape
of post-Sept. 11, 2001, New York. When a young Sikh - played with the
perfect level of exasperation by Waris Ahluwalia - is released from
among the hostages into the street, the cops worry less about his
safety than about the possibility he is of Arab descent.
----------
And one of the hostages, tossed by his captors into the street to
deliver a message to police, immediately becomes a suspect by virtue
of the turban on his head.
"He's an Arab!" one SWAT officer yells out in fear.
"I'm a Sikh," he explains.
Finding out what's the difference -- and doing so with vibrant
dialogue and unsettling humor -- is what makes this a Spike Lee Joint
after all.GO!
No comments:
Post a Comment