No right, no wrong. No destiny, no karma, no kismat. It's all there, the tide of circumstances, events and results. That impels him to know more about his history if there was one of a cindered family tree. His father, somewhere on the other side of the border, Pakistan, didn't arouse his interest. Never never never. The two mothers do. Abba, father, was instructed by ma with steely resolve, never ever to see the boy. He attempted to; it would have been abnormal if he hadn't. He was humiliated. Like those countless treaties between India and Pakistan ineffectual. Maybe abba is dead now, maybe he's a lech with a merry-go-round of a family and mistresses in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Whereverabad. Who cares.'
Bravely personal with quantum leaps into the imagination, Two Mothers and Other Stories by film critic, scriptwriter, playwright and director, Khalid Mohamed, explores a variety of themes ranging from familial bonds, the lingering Indian royalty, and media stratagems to Mumbai's fast-vanishing Zoroastrian Irani cafés and the bold new world of website sexual relationships. Unfailingly entertaining, his first collection of stories presents what it is like to be immersed in life with its inexhaustible twists, shocks and surprises.
About the Author
Khalid Mohamed is an Indian journalist, editor, film critic, screenwriter and film director. He formerly worked for the Hindustan Times and was the lead editor for Filmfare magazine. He is the son of Hindi film actress Zubeida Begum, on whose life he wrote the screenplay of Shyam Benegal's 2001 film, Zubeidaa.
An alumnus of Cathedral and John Connon School Fort, Mumbai Mohamed has directed four Hindi films. He was hired by the Hindustan Times where he served as the national cultural editor as well as the editor of the supplement HT Cafe. He left the Times in January 2009. Mohamed has only given a few films a full 5-star rating, including Satya (1998) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008). |
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Two Mothers & Other Stories