Rough Cut: India is Frontline/World‘s 20-minute online video about three Indian-American girls who were adopted from a Calcutta orphanage and return to India for a visit. The film is by Sasha Khoka.

“It is a cinema verite story, rather than the usual reporter-narrated journey that is our trademark. And as an international television program and Web site, we don't normally cover stories that begin in the United States and focus on Americans. But that's why we named our program of online videos Rough Cut. It's an opportunity for us to try something different in our search for the most intriguing ”stories from a small planet.“

Give it a look-see.

Technorati Tags: documentary, film, India, Calcutta, culture

New York Times' Amy Waldman has a four-part feature about India's newfound love of roadways [high time if you asked me], car culture, spread of AIDS and the cities. Article 1 is here. Article 2 is here. I will be sure to post links to article three and four here once they are published.

Be sure to click on the interactive modules. Photographs are by Tyler Hicks.

UPDATE: Article 3 and Article 4.

Media Transasia is all set to launch an edition of Maxim magazine in India.

Piyush Sharma, the associate publisher of the new magazine says that Maxim's new Indian edition will be similar to other editions, but the content “will be adapted to suit Indian sensibilities.”

I am curious to know how these “Indian sensibilities” are defined and by whom. Thoughts anyone?

Nipping at the heels of Filmigame comes Bollywood Masti, a board game targeted towards the desi in all of us who is homesick or nostalgic of the “yesteryears.”

“Imagine Trivial Pursuit meeting Bollywood, Stardust and Antakshri and you'll get a good idea of what to expect from the game …”

The board game launched in the UK on May 1st after it was well received in India. No word yet if it will make it out to the US. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, let the masti begin!

Via Jason Kottke

“A rowdy group of ten young Indians walked in one Friday evening and occupied the restaurant’s large central table. Their response to no prices was to leave no money; they didn’t even tip the wait staff.”

This is at Babu, a restaurant run by Payal Saha, where the menu initially had no prices. You could pay what you thought the meal was worth. Interesting concept, wouldn't you say? But as my cheap desi brothers have shown, Babu was in danger of being deemed a soup kitchen for the can-pay. And there is this awkwardness of not knowing how much to pay and how much more to tip.

“A few weeks ago, prices were finally written into the menu: a three-course meal with wine comes to about fifty dollars a head.”

Ah, priceless.