Maria Giovanna
Read biographyA native New Yorker and Irish American, Maria’s first connection with India was flying Air India to Heathrow. She saw her first Hindi movie in 1997 and was never the same since. In 2001 she got a Masters in journalism from Columbia University. The same year she first touched down on Indian soil, during a bandh in Chennai. In 2006, Maria started her blog – Filmiholic – as well as freelancing for Mint, Rediff/India Abroad etc. She enjoys Gita Govinda and Shobhaa De.
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Aiyyaa… he’s H-O-T! Prithviraj uncovered
In the novel The Moor’s Last Sigh, protagonist Moraes Zogoiby scoffs at naming a period in history “discovery-of-India” and goes on to ask “how could we be discovered when we were not covered before?” One could say the same about Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran. He may only be coming to #Aiyyaa #Prithviraj Sukumaran #VeryUpClose
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Chalo Ireland: Will Ek Tha Tiger be Dublin’s lucky charm?
When Ek Tha Tiger stormed into theatres, Kabir Khan, Salman Khan and the folks at Yash Raj Films were not the only ones holding their breaths. Some 7,600 kilometers north-west, a lot of people in Ireland were also praying for its success. Part of the film is set in the #Dublin #Ek Tha Tiger #Ireland #Kabir Khan #MovieBiz #Salman Khan
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How I met and fell in love with AR Rahman
On my commute to work the other day, plugged in like always to my iPod, I scrolled through playlists, trying to find something I hadn’t listened to lately. I stopped at a playlist labelled Kadhalar Dhinam assuming it must have been some movie soundtrack I brought back from a past #A.R. Rahman #Bollywood #Inpraiseof #Tamil films
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Bitten by the Tamil movie bug
I’ve been obsessed with Indian film for some 14 years now and since I’ve started writing about those movies and the people who make them, I try to get to Mumbai and Chennai every year, to stay in touch. Yes, Chennai too, because only a few years after the Hindi movie #Bollywood #Tamil Cinema
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An entreaty to film celebs who tweet
I joined Twitter about 18 months ago because I was going to be attending a film festival in New York and I thought it would be a handy way to post timely, brief blow-by-blow descriptions of what was going on around me, which actors were present, what they had to #Bollywood #New York City #Ram Gopal Varma #Starbabble #Twitter