Indo-American News December 24, 2021

Friday, December 24, 2021 | Vol. 40, No. 51

Indo American News

December 24, 2021

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Published weekly from Houston, TX

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Special Reports Community Briefs Local Politics South Asians in the News

2470 Dairy Ashford, Houston, TX 77077 • 713.789.NEWS (6397) • indoamericannews@yahoo.com

Sewa Gala Celebrated via Watch Parties

Sewa International had a gala celebration on Saturday, December 11 2021, highlighting the year-round work of its volunteers and their accomplishments in responding to and combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as serving the local communities in other ways and making an impact beyond the city’s borders.

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Indo-American News • Friday, december 24, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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COMMUNITY

December 24, 2021

Sewa Houston Chapter Celebrates Year of Dedication, Achievements

Luthra, a senior volunteer who, forgetting his age, served COVIDimpacted families. He added, “We are humbled by the accolades, recognition, and awards given to us by the President of United States, elected officials, and various community organizations for recognizing the impact created by Sewa International during tough times: “2021 marked the tremendous collaboration with community organizations, corporations, media partners, elected officials, and more importantly, more than 150,000 donors who supported Sewa completely in serving the community.

We continue to serve through vaccination drives, food distribution, and various initiatives across the globe to support families impacted by the pandemic”.

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Houston:: Sewa International had a gala celebration on Saturday, December 11 2021, highlighting the year-round work of its volunteers and their accomplishments in responding to and combating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as serving the local communities in other ways and making an impact beyond the city’s borders.

Houston Chapter President, Gitesh Desai, welcomed the Indian Consul General Aseem R Mahajan, Congresswoman Lizzie fletcher, and Dr. Peter Hotez to the gala and thanked them for gracing the occasion. He said that “ local presence and global impact” was the theme of the Chapter’s twelfth annual fundraising event.

Participating in the virtual event, Consul General of India, Aseem Mahajan, (commended Sewa for working with several community initiatives organizing food distribution, imparting education, and offering other services in a demanding and challenging year.

“Sewa has played a vital role in promoting people-to-people contact between the two countries and deepening India’s partnership with the US,” he said.

Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, who was the chief guest, said that he valued working hand in hand with the Indian government’s extraordinary developers in Hyderabad, India, of the COVAXIN vaccine to combat COVID-19. He wished to scale up the vaccination production, as billions of doses are needed to vaccinate the world, including the African continent and many Southeast Asian countries.

He thanked Sewa International for joining hands in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m with you in spirit celebrating the Sewa Houston chapter in its accomplishments,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher” She added, “Sewa International is working tirelessly in responding to COVID-19 affected families in our community in recent years, helping even through days of heavy rainfall and flooding events.

Thank you for working for our community as your mobilizational efforts have resulted in transformational changes in our community. Thank you for all you do.”

Arun Kankani, President, Sewa International, USA, said the clarion call for service was heard by Sewa in 2021. He recounted the selfless service of thousands of Sewa volunteers who rose to the occasion with compassion in their hearts and the courage of a fighter. He made a special mention of Madan

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COMMUNITY

December 24, 2021

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Tony Wadhawan: Candidate for Fort Bend County Court at Law #2 earlier. In this cozy atmosphere at the Telfair Central Hall decked out in red-white and blue, with balloons on a marquee backdrop, Tony Wadhawan was able to be himself with his family, friends and loyal supporters. He is a big man but nimble on his feet, and he double-stepped into the hall, accompanied by his wife Reshama, to the beat of Punjabi dhols as he was introduced to the crowd.

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Wadhawan is the son of longtime Houstonians Ramesh and Shail Wadhawan who have operated Shelly Travel and now Zee Travel. He bears a striking resemblance to both and has their same affable attitude towards people.

But when it comes to the law, Wadhawan is all business. A product of Ft Bend schools, he got his law degree from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas

Southern University. Since then, he has developed into a wellrespected criminal attorney with a 14-year practice. He knows the ins and outs of the system, and regularly handles the kind of cases that the Ft Bend Court at Law #2 is known to deal with. He wants to spread his message across the county of his competency as he seeks to win in the primary on March 1.

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Required Qualifications: • Ability to multi-task • Experience gathering information • Must have an attention to detail Preferred Qualifications: • Some experience working in a newsroom Tony Wadhawan, candidate for Ft Bend County Court at Law #2 flanked by his wife Reshama and parents Ramesh and Shail at his 40th birthday party and campaign meet on Thursday, December 16, in Telfair Central Hall in Sugar Land.

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INDIA

December 24, 2021

ED Queries Aishwarya on Panama Papers

Mumbai: Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its probe into the 2016 Panama Papers expose published by The Indian Express in collaboration with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) which showed that several prominent personalities in India had floated companies in tax havens.

It is learnt that Rai has also been questioned on her foreign travels since Panama Papers records show she, along with family members, attended a meeting of the Board of Directors of a British Virgin Islands (BVI) company, Amic Partners Limited in Dubai in June 2005, the year the company was incorporated. She is also being questioned on a large deposit made to a foreign bank account of her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, using the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).

It is understood that Rai has denied any knowledge of the BVI company and told ED investigators that it was her father, late Krishna Raj Rai, who handled all her financial matters.

Significantly, officials said that a key document of Amic Partners Limited, published by The Indian Express as part of the 2016 Panama Papers expose, has now been independently obtained and verified by them from authorities in BVI. Incidentally, documents of Amic Partners Limited included those of its Certificate of Incumbency; company Resolutions and minutes of its Board of Directors meeting.

The minutes are signed by Rai and her other family members. The

minutes also reveal that the Dubai Branch of the ABN AMRO Bank would be appointed as investment managers for the Rai family’s offshore entity.

Rai was summoned to appear before the Investigating Officer in Delhi Monday. Sources said she is being questioned over FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) allegations, and not money laundering.

Rai was one of several prominent personalities named in The Indian Express-ICIJ 2016 Panama Papers expose. The summons from the ED is the first indication that agencies are actively pursuing the case against Rai and her family members.

Senior officials told The Indian

Express that Rai had been sent summons two times in October and November this year but had sought time.

The papers regarding the Bachchans were part of records maintained by Mossack Fonseca (MF), a Panamanian firm that helped set up offshore entities. These showed that for at least three years, Rai and her family were part of Amic Partners.

The Indian Express accessed MF records which showed that Rai, her father Kotedadi Ramana Rai Krishna Raj, mother Vrinda Krishna Raj Rai, and brother Aditya Rai were appointed on May 14, 2005, as directors of Amic Partners – with an initial authorised capital of $50,000.

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OBITUARY

December 24, 2021

VHPA Mourns Loss of its Founder Houston: World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) regretfully announces passing away of Dr. Mahesh Mehta (Maheshbhai), its founder and former President in Karnavati (Amdavad), India on December 14, 2021. He was eighty-six years old. He passed away on the pious day of Mokshda Ekadashi and Geeta Jayanti.

In late 1960s, when Hindus started to immigrate to the US in significant numbers very it was rare to find mandirs (temples) or community organizations.

There was an acute need of institutions that provided religious and cultural education to children of the first-generation immigrant community. To fulfill this need, in 1970, Maheshbhai founded VHPA and subsequently, served as the General Secretary and the President of the organization for several years.

VHPA under the leadership of Maheshbhai pioneered weekend Hindu schools (Balvihars) and Summer Youth Camps for the Hindu children growing up in US. This model of youth education has now been successfully adopted by almost all the Hindu organizations and temples. National, regional and local Hindu conferences brought together Hindu community to network and explore issues ranging from parenting to challenges faced by the small and geographically dispersed Hindu community in America. It also presented an avenue for early immigrants to explore opportunities offered by their newly adopted homeland.

A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) swayamsevak since his childhood, Mahesh-

bhai spent several years as Sangh pracharak (full-time volunteer). He also served as the President of the Gujarat state for Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Inspired by the second Sarsanghchalak of RSS, Param Pujaniya Guru Golwalkarji, Maheshbhai dedicated his life to building the Hindu movement and Hindu identity in North America. He positioned Hindus as the leading contributors to the growth and development of their adopted country. His work in the USA has been foundational; and now it has grown into a tree of many branches. He was instrumental in establishing Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindu University of America, Hindu Students Council (HSC), Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conference (HMEC) India Quality Group, and Global Indians for Bharat Vikas (GIBV) among many others.

Indo-American News • Friday, december 24, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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SPORTS

December 24, 2021

Thrilling 3-Day Test Match at Moosa Stadium in Pearland

Pearland: Houston got to witness its first 3-day test match on Dec 2nd – 4th, 2021. This was a landmark event in the long and rich history of Houston cricket.

This opportunity was made possible by Sakhi Muhammad, owner, and promoter of Moosa stadium, Pearland, Texas.

The international level facilit was built in 2013 and has been the host to some marquee national teams in the recent past, namely Canada, USA, Bermuda, Denmark, Italy and several ICC Americas Combines.

On a beautiful day for Test Cricket, Houston Masters won the toss and had no hesitation in deciding to bat first on a brilliantly prepared Test wicket by the curator Sam Plumett. Govardhan Kandhula and Syed Hussain bowled a testing opening spell which resulted in an early wicket for Govardhan. At 7 for 1, Shreyan Satheesh walked in at number 3. In the company of Taha Marvi, Shreyan and Taha stitched a 202-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Taha showed brilliant grit and adapted beautifully.

He scored 95 of 171 balls with 13 fours and 1 six. Considering his skill hitting ability in the white ball format, this was a treat to watch him score 95. Just when he looked set to get a Test ton, Nikhil Bhat got him on 95 thanks to a brilliant catch by Nabeel Parkar. Barring a couple of chances given by Taha, this was a top-class knock.

The spin trio of Nikhil Bhat, Josh Saripella, and Enosh Krupakar kept toiling and kept the runs in check to an extent. The pressure resulted in Enosh picking the fi-

nal wicket of Day 1. Enosh picked up Umair Hussain on 22 thanks to a good catch by Govardhan. At the other end, Shreyan Satheesh came into bat in the 2nd over of the day and stayed unbeaten on 138 at the end of the 1st Day. At 297 for 3 after Day 1, Masters looked set to score 400 plus but Warriors had other plans in mind. A masterstroke by Nikhil to have Raju Dhaduti bowl spin with a semi new ball from the Pearland end turned the tables.

Raju bowled 10 overs on a trot and picked up 3 crucial wickets which got Warriors right back into the game. From the other end, Josh and Nikhil kept things tight along with Enosh. Masters were 7 wickets down at lunch. The 1st over after lunch bowled by Josh resulted in two wickets and Nikhil picked a wicket in the next over which meant Masters were all out for 363 thanks to top class bowling by Warriors. Josh picked 3 for 43 in his 25 overs. Nikhil picked 2 for 58 in his 26 overs and showed amazing control. Raju picked 3 for 57 by bowling an immaculate length consistently. Nabeel was exceptional as a wicketkeeper throughout the inning besides being at Silly Point and doing brilliantly when Tanaf Wasie kept wickets.

After being in the field for 109 overs, coming into bat was a tough task for Houston Warriors. However, Nikhil Bhat started positively from Ball 1, hitting two backto-back fours which set the tone for the inning. Tanaf Wasie played

some delectable shots, and both put together 46 in no time before a fantastic short ball by Shreyan Satheesh resulted in a leading edge from Wasie which gave Masters their first wicket. The next batsman Nabeel perished quickly, and in no time Warriors were 59 for 2, which brought Josh to the crease.

Nikhil and Josh, both southpaws, put up a very solid partnership.

Just when Josh looked set for a big one, he was run out against the run of play for a fantastic 32 though replays showed that Josh was probably in. One wicket again brought two which meant Warriors were 141 for 4 with a session to go. Nikhil was going brilliantly on 75. The 3rd session was where we saw a game changing partnership between the “Nik Brothers” as addressed by the Commentators.

Nikunj Satani showed his skills his defending and did not play any loose shot. Nikhil at the other end scored heavily in the final session.

At the end of the days play, Nikhil was batting on 145 of 175 balls

and had scored 100 runs in the final session.

Warriors came back on Day 3 at 220 for 4 and continued from where they had left. Masters took the 2nd new ball and tried to make amends by taking advantage of the early morning moisture. The bowled brilliantly but Nik brothers batted with grit and determination.

The round the wicket spell from Shreyan to Nikunj was a treat for all Test Match fans.

Finally, Nikunj departed for 26 of 134 but Nikhil carried on his marathon knock. He was well supported by Enosh and Rahul who played cameos but at 317 for 7, the game was in balance since the Winner was to be decided based on 1st inning lead. In walked Hamza Jamshed and right from ball one, showed his class. He added 132 for the 8th wicket with Nikhil before Nikhil finally got out for a chanceless 265 of 365 balls which included 29 fours. This was his 7th ton and 1st double ton. This was also the highest score in a non-

Test Country in the last 100 years as confirmed by the founder of American College Cricket. Nikhil Bhat showed amazing technique, fitness, skillset, and determination to help his team win based on 1st inning lead with support from other batters. Hamza stayed not out on 62 and Warriors were all out for 457. Umair Hussain, Arir Ali, Murtaza Hashwani, and Aryan Satheesh bowled brilliantly.

Aryan for 3 for 70. With an hour to go, Masters came into bat and smashed 82 in 11 overs thanks to Ali Hasan’s 24 of 22 balls and Nandu Jalumuri’s 55 not out. Nikunj, Rahul, and Nabeel picked up a wicket each. Syed and Mayuresh bowled a good opening spell.

The Test match was played in good spirit and Warriors won based on 1st inning lead. Players enjoyed the 3-day test format, which helped them understand and improve their game, as far as planning their innings, setting up batsmen for wickets, building on their temperament and patience. Once again, commendable effort by all involved (Moosa management, ground staff, organizers), to make this event possible. Houston can’t wait for more of these formats and hoping to see more games at Moosa. Nikhil Bhat won the Man of the Match for his 265 with the bat and 2 for 58 with the ball. Taha Marvi won the Best Batsman award for his 95 of 171 balls. Josh Saripella won the Best Bowler award for his 3 for 43 in 25 overs Shreyan Satheesh won the Upcoming Youngster award for his 162 with the bat and 2 for 88 with the ball. -- Bhaskar Saripella

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December 24, 2021 1 COMMUNITY

December 24, 2021

Fairy Tale Wedding for Rish Oberoi & Alysha Alibhai

By Jawahar Malhotra

CANCUN, MEXICO: It was the stuff that Bollywood weddings are made of: 320 guests flew in from across the globe – North America, Europe, Asia, Africa – all descending on the Planet Hollywood hotel on the peninsula in the tourist playground city of Cancun. They came for a 3-day, 4-event extravaganza and royal treatment spread out with the Sangeet on the beach, with the traditional Punjabi wedding and reception for Rish Oberoi and Alysha Alibhai.

The groom’s parents, Ricki and Dr. Asra Oberoi and his mom Nisha Smith had made impeccable arrangements that went over the top like using 20,000 roses and fresh flowers for the event; Indian food by a Taj trained chef Sanjeev Rana; live music by Bollywood violinist and singer Tabriz; Houston DJ Yogi flown in for the music and a live Bhaji band to lead the

barat. And of course, the groom came on a white stallion.

The Oberois have become wellknown name in the Bayou City ever since Mahesh and Rupa Oberoi opened up their first restaurant – Natraj in Highland Village and later Shiva in Rice Village back in the 80s. Since then, their son Ricki has picked up the mantle with a chain of Wendy’s franchises across Texas.

The groom Rish, was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Houston.

He ventured into politics running unsuccessfully for State Rep and now works as Director of Development for MOVE Texas. The bride, Alysha Alibhai, was born in Vancouver, Canada but raised in Seattle where her parents Nash and Nina Alibhai own a tire and wheel business. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Law

School and works at the White and Case law firm.

But though both studied at the same university, they didn’t actually meet till 2017 through a mutual friend in Austin. Two years later, while on a trip to New York

in October 2019, Rish popped the question and Alysha accepted.

After getting back from the exhilarating but exhausting wedding, Rish and Alysha will make their home in the Montrose area in Houston.

The newlyweds with the groom’s parents (top left) Ricki and Dr. Asra Oberoi; (above) his mom Nisha Smith (right) and her sister Mala SIngh (left); (below left) his siblings (from left) Ria Smith, Razak Oberoi & Sahara Oberoi

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COMMUNITY

December 24, 2021

Fort Bend Awards $475K to Gandhi Museum Have you planned for your future?

People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan Eternal Gandhi Museum under construction.

Richmond: Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, EGMH, is very happy and proud to inform you that it has received a generous grant of $475,000 under the non -profit program of the Fort Bend County under the American rescue plan.

Judge KP George has offered unflinching support to the activities of EGMH from day one when he was invited to Shraddhanjali, Memorial Service, for Mahatma Gandhi in February 2019 at Unity of Houston. EGMH profusely thanks Judge for his support. This grant will go a long way in bringing to life the First ever museum in the Americas dedicated to preserve and promote Mahatma Gandhi’s greatest legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution.

EGMH is truly grateful to the Fort Bend County Commissioners’ court for approving this grant.

When EGMH opens in 2023 it will be an education institution to resolve conflicts nonviolently. It will invite Houston and surrounding area school children for field trip to the museum at no cost. A trained docent will lead the children in the museum based on content developed by grade by an education consultant. The EGMH will be an interactive museum divided into three parts, His Journey (Mahatma Gandhi’s Life), Our Journey (Impact of Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy of nonviolent conflict resolution in the world featuring, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and others around the world and finally My Journey section were each visitor will be asked to make a commitment to make the community a better place to live in.

For more information, please visit www. egmh.org. -- Atul Kothari, EMGH

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December 24, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, december 24, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

SUDOKU/MOVIE REVIEW Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Send us the correct answer before December 30. 2021 Email us at indoamericannews@yahoo.com. Please send us your solved Sudoku for your name to be published.

Solution Next Week

Last Week’s Solution

Last Week’s Winners

Sanchali Basu, Krishna R. Vuddagiri, Ramana Vadrevu, Kumud Athavale, Pratima P. Kothari

December 24, 2021

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Shubhra Gupta’s Best and Worst Movies of 2021

By Hiren Motwani

As we near the end of 2021, one of the most difficult, laden with death-and-despondence years that we’ve managed somehow to lurch through, this can finally be said: the struggle for Bollywood to stay relevant has never been more real. It’s not only the long closure of theatres during multiple lockdowns which has been a problem.

It’s also that there have been barely any films worthy of our time, pandemic or no pandemic. And that, truly, is the nub. For this ritual look-back which involves pinpointing the best of Bollywood, I was hard put to choose: almost every film that I’ve really liked this year has been non-Bollywood.

The big-ticket Bollywood biggies, helmed by Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham (Radhe, Sooryavanshi, Satyameva Jayate 2) were tired, trashy retreads of the same old fight of good vs evil, chest-thumping jingoism, playing the majoritarian-minorityothering card, and invincible herogiri. They may have pulled out a pandemic-stricken industry from a dark hole, but in terms of cinematic value, they provided zero accretion.

‘Bell Bottom’ is about the only big-budget starry Bollywood extravaganza I enjoyed this year; ‘Shershaah’ wasn’t all the way consistent, but its sincere, near non-jingoistic re-telling of the life and death of a war hero was noteworthy. Still waiting for Kabir Khan’s ‘83, Atrangi Re, and Jersey, though: we’ll see what we’ll see.

Meanwhile, here are the handful of Hindi films, listed in no particular order, which caught my attention, in a good way. None of these films are without flaws, but they are those which attempted freshness, and gave us new voices.

Raat Akeli Hai Honey Trehan’s ‘Raat Akeli Hai’ is a smart refresh of the smalltown-murder-mystery-laced-withsexual-intrigue.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Dibakar Banerji’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, starring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor with gender-bending names, revisits some of the director’s familiar concerns.

Ramprasad Ki Tehravi Ramprasad Ki Tehravi plays out in a house of mourning, somewhere in UP. The patriarch has passed away, leaving a joint family biting at the jib. The politics of death is fascinating, and debutant director Seema Bhargava does a good job of creating realistic characters: who, if anyone, truly grieves?

Sherni ‘Sherni’ is a double-edged title, referring to the big cats that are in danger in our forests, which are themselves being denuded by greed and callousness, and the human guardian who fights like a tigress to save everything. Just like

his previous ‘Newton’, Amit Masurkar comes up with a film whose messaging is spot on — that fourlegged animals are much less dangerous than two legged ones.

Thalaivi The time when Bollywood bio-pics unpick the unlovely, unglamorous sides of their subjects is very far away. Till then we’ll have to be content with a film being able to re-create time and place with a degree of authenticity.

Thalaivi’s choice of Kangana Ranaut to play the controversial but all-powerful Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jaylalitha may be questionable on the grounds of the being-Tamilianspeaking-Tamil metrics. But in the way Ranaut makes the character her own, all doubts are dispelled Sardar Udham Shoojit Sircar’s bio-pic ‘Sardar Udham’ takes its time, sometimes feeling like too much time, to build a portrait of its chosen subject. To pull off a character whose nobility grows as he goes along, and who does not flaunt the mandatory musculature demanded by mainstream Bollywood, as well as the loud flag-waving demanded by New India, is a tough ask. Sircar’s Udham Singh is a hero we can believe in. And the tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh, as seen through Vicky Kaushal’s stunned, too-numb-togrieve eyes is heartbreaking. And unforgettable.

The White Tiger Ramin Bahrani’s ‘The White Tiger’, based on Arvind Adiga’s novel of the same name, is about a young man who claws his way out of abject poverty to climb the slippery pole of newly-created wealth born out of a sharp, streetsmart mind. Rajkummar Rao, Priyanka Chopra (who also has an executive producer credit), Ma-

hesh Manjrekar all have significant parts in the film, but the one you take home is Adarsh Gourav who plays the eponymous Balram Halwai with a mixture of seething anger and unctuousness, making it one of the best performances of the year.

Shall I let you into a secret?

Plain bad films are actually easier to handle than the ones that disappoint, and nothing disappointed me more than Yashraj Films’ ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’, starring Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji. The two con-artists from the original B&B, Saif stepping in for Abhishek Bachchan (whom I sorely missed), are now middle-aged and thick-waisted. A couple of newbies throw down a glove, and our original Bunty and Babli pick up the challenge and give chase.

This four-hander should have been a zinger, but not one thing, and I will repeat this, not one thing, or element, or character in this misguided mess of a movie comes anywhere near the first, which wasn’t exactly Oscar worthy in the first place but got away with its cockiness and silliness because it had complete confidence in itself. And this, from a legacy Bollywood studio. No fun, hun. -Indian Express

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Indo-American News • Friday, december 24, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com

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December 24, 2021

Indo-American News • Friday, december 24, 2021 • www.indoamerican-news.com