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METRO
FEATURE
Gracious
Gaggle
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| Taking
the mickey out of them |
Goodness
Gracious Me! "takes the mickey out of Asians in the UK," says
series producer Anil Gupta. Quite. With characters like Guru Maharishi
Yogi III ("a spiritual adviser who travels first class"), The
Coopers (a.k.a the Kapoors), Mr Shit with Women and the Competitive Mothers
("On his wedding night beta slept at the foot of my bed!"),
the sketches satirise the Brit-Asian community with relentless low-brow
humour.
This week,
cast members Meera Syal, Kulwinder Ghir, Nina Wadia, Sanjeev Bhaskar,
Dave Lamb, Gupta and writer Sharad Saldana wrapped up filming at Mandawa,
Agra and Delhi. At the British Council, where the cast gathered for an
interactive discussion, each outstripped the other in witticisms. Sanjeev
Bhaskar was "available later on (wink, wink)"-for comment we
pray, and Nina Wadia was keen to take "potshots at Parsis".
The group admitted to receiving complaints for an episode where the figure
of Christ was dunked in chutney. "It's difficult to lampoon religion
... it's inherently ridiculous," insisted Bhaskar.
Later, Syal,
a second-time novelist with Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee, gave an evocative
reading from her book. She described her generation as "extraordinary
for trying to meld its two cultures". She was probably recalling
the morning at Chandni Chowk. When she inquired if it was alright to smoke
in public, an Indian crew member mumbled: "If you were my girlfriend,
I wouldn't suggest it." Gupta insisted that the cast enjoyed the
visit to India. "But we've got a couple of days left ... so that
could change!" And Mr Shit with Women could get a date.
-Sonia
Faleiro
more...
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