NRI DIARY

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February 14, Valentine's Day, is a few months away. But, Rahul Dholakia, who has directed his first feature film, Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar, can't wait for the day to dawn. It's the date set for the release of his romantic comedy starring Jimmy Shergill and Kim Sharma (who debuted in Mohabbatein). It's also for the first time that Lal and Kishore Dadlaney of Video Sound, Edison, New Jersey, the film's distributors, have become Indo-American producers of a full-length film.

Making Kehtaa Hai ... in just 60 days, admits Dholakia, was a terrific challenge with three critical constraints: creativity, time and budget. The project was started on September 9 and, two days later, the twin towers in Manhattan were reduced to rubble. In spite of the confusion, the shock and numbness, Dholakia says that the New York police department rose to the occasion without delaying in issuing permits for shooting. Dholakia, who qualified with a Master's in communications from New York Institute of Technology has earned his stripes making advertising films and won awards for his documentaries Teenage Parents and New York Taxi Drivers.

AMERICAN SHOOT: A scene from the film; Shergill, others at the press conference

The film is about an Indian family settled in America for more than 20 years. Besides Shergill and Sharma, the film stars Paresh Rawal, a former stage actor who has been a staple on the Indian silverscreen with memorable performances in Chachi 420 and Tamanna, and comedian Johnny Lever and Nina Kulkarni who was in Nayak. "It is my third film but the first time I am the leading lady and it is a thrill," admits Sharma. "We had a great time filming it though on some days the pace was hectic with a call as early as 4.30 a.m.," says the actress for whom the whole film crew was "one big family".

At a function to celebrate the completion of the film, Shergill, who as Sunder loves New York City and dreams of building a house and settling down with his lady love, spoke of the his anticipation of the film's success-and "a pleasing break in your busy lives".

-Raj S. Rangarajan

The temple, the home and the outdoor shrine. They are three areas of religious importance in India. To bring the folk art traditions used to create and decorate these elaborate areas of worship, Maitland Art Center in Orlando and the Asian Cultural Association kicked off an exhibition entitled "Puja: The Art of Religion" on November 2. The exhibition will be held till December 23.

"The artwork represents the local crafts and folk art of Bengal, Gujarat and south Indian for religion," said Richard Colvin, curator of the Center. "Local Indian artisans created the different displays that surround the traditional idol. We have panels that explain the significance of using regional folk art in altars of worship."

-Nitish S. Rele

Who says the global slowdown has put a halt to company mergers? DrugMax, a Largo-based pharmaceutical distributor, recently tied up with Morepen Laboratories of India to manufacture and market generic formulations in the United States.

"Morepen is a major international provider of generics and raw materials used to make generic drugs," said Bill La Gamba, president of DrugMax, from his Florida headquarters. "We are extremely excited and proud to enter into this joint venture with such a strong international partner," he added.

The new firm, MorepenMax, to be based in Largo, will initially sell loratadine-a generic form of the allergy medication Claritin. DrugMax employs 100 people and distributes medication, vitamins and cosmetics to 9,400 independent pharmacies in the US.

Anyone looking to treat their allergies?

-Nitish S. Rele

LOOKING AHEAD: Wadhwa

Relative Technologies had already received accolades from their list of clients, which include the US Air Force and the National City Corporation. Now they have been proclaimed number one in the "Magic Quadrant" list of innovative leaders by none other than Gartner, the leading industry analyst firm. America's core financial systems still operate in ancient computer languages. This is where Relativity Technologies steps in. It translate these into languages compatible with the Internet and other modern systems. Gartner predicts that by 2003 more than 75 percent of e-business solutions will reuse existing systems in conjunction with new ones. "Legacy transformation is probably the next technology goldmine," said Vivek Wadhwa, CEO, Relativity Technologies.

-Sonia Chopra

WAITING TO SERVE: Meyer (left) and Romano

For at least five years, Union Square Café has been ranked New York's most popular restaurant by Zagat Survey. It is one of the few mainstream restaurants in the city that uses Indian condiments in its fusion fare. And now in the best-selling cookbook, Second Helpings (HarperCollins), owner Danny Meyer and chef Michael Romano offer several of these dishes to Americans who have heard about their fabled restaurant but might not have had the opportunity as yet to dine there. And for those who have enjoyed themselves there, here is an opportunity to try out the recipes at home. Meyer's eclectic taste is evident not just in the café. He is also one of the owners of Tabla, the popular fusion Indian restaurant in New York. Talking about the choice of recipes in the book, Meyer says the selection is culled from the most successful crowd-pleasers. These include not just chutneys; you also have Indian-spiced corn squash and bouillabaisse, the adaptation of a fish curry Meyer says he had savoured in India a few years ago. And a word of advice: don't get flummoxed by the long list of spices. They are available at good supermarkets and specialty stores.

-Mabel Pais