Echoes of Saddam's regime-review of Devil's Double and thoughts on WAR

Hi my Beautiful Readers,

I have a guilty confession to make. Instead of working on my PhD thesis, I have been watching a movie last night and before the year ended, I wanted to share my thoughts with you beautiful readers.Thankfully, my supervisors dont know about my blog, or else I would be given a hard time, I am sure.

Anyway, beginning with the movie, I saw, I will share my thoughts on it from different perspectives. 

THE MOVIE ITSELF

The Devil's Double is a 2011 allegedly biographical film directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Dominic Cooper in the dual role of Uday Hussein and Latif Yahia. It was released on January 22, 2011 at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was released in limited theaters on July 29, 2011 by Lionsgate and Herrick Entertainment. Latif Yahia's story behind the events depicted in the film has been questioned and there appears to be no proof that he had been Hussein's double or even that he had had any connection to Uday Hussein or the highest levels of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The movie was released long ago but I happened to watch it just last night, so I apologize for the delay in review. I would have written it earlier, only if I had known about it (OOPSIE)

PREVIOUS REVIEWS

Considering the controversial and erractic nature of the movie, it was obvious that people would have different reactions to it. While most reviews only praised Dominic Cooper, LA TIMES gave the movie a negative review quoting it as "relentlessly violent and lurid". 

MY THOUGHTS

1. On the Movie
2. On Dominic Cooper
3. On Latif Yahia
4. On Uday Hussein

On the Movie

Latif Yahiya, the real life protagonist of the story emphasizes that "truth really is stranger than fiction". I absolutely agree with his argument and anyone who has seen the movie will agree too. Despite the negativity and controversy, I would rate 5/5 to this movie, including the directors and actors, specially Dominic Cooper.

LA TIMES REVIEWERS inferred it was lurid and violent but that it what Uday Hussein was! The director cannot show Uday as the guy next door, helping Papa Jones cross the street, can they? When you make a movie based on real life, it is supposed to be the replica of reality and the reality of Uday was brutal, so is the movie. 

When I say I love the movie, I DONT mean I love the psychotic monster that Uday was, I mean I love the way scenes have been directed and acted. I don't understand that when people review a movie, why they do not see the line between the script and the reality. The movie is not good because it was violent and full of torture. The movie was good because it showed the real face of a famous person in the history of Middle East. 

I am a big fan of romance and comedies and at the most, family movies. I barely ever watch a blood related violent movie because
1. It's not my cup of tea!
2. I get scared in the night.
3. I adore peace and HATE war and crime.

But I really liked this movie, for many reasons. Although I must admit, I did shut my eyes with my hands on some scenes and widened my eyes, jaw dropped on others. I did not cry but I did feel the horror until late after I ended watching. The reasons for liking was Dominic Cooper's acting, a glimpse of the life of Arab leaders and to see what they do with so much power, oil and money. Yes, there was suspense for me because I did not know a lot about either Uday or Latif Yahia, so it was all new to me.

Since the movie has three important men involved, I would like to share my thoughts on each one of them individually. 

On Dominic Cooper
The character of Uday has been played by British Actor Dominic Cooper. I had absolutely NO IDEA, this is the guy from MAMA MIA- MY FAV MOVIE, where he played Amanda Seyfried's boy friend. I just could not recognize him in this absolutely different accent and look. 

Dominic has adapted the character beautifully, both as the psychotic monster and as the good guy Latif. The art of and excellence of his acting is gripping because the same person will be hated to bits and loved at the same time by the audience. Dominic has portrayed the best of twin role I have even seen including all the Hollywood and Bollywood movies. Kudos boy!


On Latif Yahia
The actual person who went through all this horror and lost his family and friends to Uday's madness is a gentleman called Latif Yahia. Following the movie, I was curious to know more about him and I learned that he lives in Ireland and is an author of few books. I also viewed his interviews on BBC where he is being grilled for NOT hating Saddam Hussein and regarding his allegations with CIA. 

People's reaction towards Latif is mixed. I personally saw truth in his eyes. I may not be the best judge of character and I may be wrong, but I agreed with everything he said and could empathize with his story completely. Someone who has lived through that horror and has the guts to tell the world about it, must be a brave soul, which Latif Yahia is. 

No one can bring back his dead family or the years of youth taken away from him, but as human being, we can offer him respect and applaud for the bravery he has shown. I can only wish him happiness and peace in his life. 
You can read more about him on his website.


On Uday Hussein

The actual person, the son of Saddam Hussein was Uday Hussein whose body double was Latif Yahia for four years. After seeing his torture and craziness, I can only wonder if he was mentally disturbed by birth or if he got crazy because of the money and power he had. In either case, history speaks for itself. What goes around, comes around and for what he did to Iraqi people, he certainly died a horrible death, which is exactly what he deserved. 

Personally, I have not been a part of any war ever and may be I cannot relate much to the movie in that way. I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia but we were send to India when the Saddam attack took place in the 90s and even in India, I live in Lucknow, which is pretty much peaceful, except for occassional Shia Sunni riots. 

But when I see spoils of war of TV or newspapers, it breaks my heart to bits. How is any damn piece of land or drop of oil worth more than human blood and flesh? These days I read about millions of little children being killed in Syria and the same blood shed over and over again. When will we realize that one bullet does not kill one human, it kills 36 weeks of a mothers labor, the uncountable moments of care spent on that person, the infinite dreams in the eyes and the infinite desires of the heart. I don't completely believe media on the whole terror and war issue but I don't care who is doing it and why. I just want it to END. 

Let's wish and pray that this new year, we join hands in prayer and action to do whatever we can, to spread only love and peace. If we disagree with someone or something, just go someplace,do some bitching, roll some eyes, look sideways and leave it the hell alone! We can't be all angels but let's hope we don't turn into DEVILS!

Love and Peace

Happy 2014

Ciao!

Why Did Gauhar Khan win BB 7? Victory, memories and more...

The most amazing thing that happened this season for me personally is that when Bigg Boss 7 started, I really liked Tanisha Mukherjee in the first few episodes. I guess its true for many people, not just me and this is why Tanisha was voted as Captain of the house twice in the beginning. One particular episode when she counselled Kushal to be the bigger man, realize the potential that the show will bring to his career and to NOT argue with Bigg Boss for a shaving machine for something. That time Tanisha showed a lot of sensibility and was definitely one of my favorites. As the show progressed and Tanisha got close with Arman Kohli, her thinking and winning potential DIED.

 On the other hand, I disliked Gauhar in the beginning when she was accused of giving her opinions about everything. It seemed like she talks a lot and dominates others. Apparantly, the one who talks a lot, does NOT keep things inside, does NOT hold grudges and has a clear soul. Gauhar may have gained hatred in the beginning but very soon, she began to be the voice of BB7, it was impossible to NOT take notice of her. 

If we talk of all the women in the house, the only one closest to Gauhar is Eli Avram. But the negative part of Eli is that 'she is only face' as Gauhar remarked in one episode. Sorry to say, I dont like to judge people by their faces but by her speech, Eli truly proved only to be the blond bimbo who does not use her brain. Apart from beauty, Gauhar is really talented. Her dances, her honesty in tasks and her sensibility, plus her cooking has obviously lead to her standing in that special position of the house. Pratyusha looked like a misplaced person, Kamya did not offer much as entertainment and Ratan was simply too honest and sweet to survive among the barbarians like Arman and Tanisha.

Gauhar falling in love with Kushal was another highlight of Gauhar's time at BB7. The best thing about the affair was that they both admitted it on national TV and did not sneak around like Tanisha and Arman. If you dare to love someone, you must have the guts to admit it infront of the world. 

Gauhar was friends with Andy and always stood for him while Andy lost track during tasks and got too personal. This also showed that Gauhar has a human heart which did NOT change during tasks. While Kushal was obviously insecure about Ajaz hanging around Gauhar, I would say HATS OFF to Gauhar for handling both men really well. She did not let Kushal feel bad and she maintained an open minded attitude towards Ajaz until the end. 

I guessed Gauhar would win the show even before the final episode when they showed the journey of each contestant. Sangram's journey was so boring, I just skipped it completely (lucky I was watching on laptop). Tanisha was nothing but Arman's secretary, dumb, without any thought and action. Ajaz was interesting and her role as HASEENA APA was truly unforgettable. 

 Arman accused Gauhar that because she was left alone, she quickly made friends with Andy. He did not notice that when he was eliminated into the caravan, Tanisha was left alone and she immediately made friends with Andy and Kamya. Gauhar was in fact the only one who was fighting against the entire group during the last few days. Kudos for that courage, Gauhar.

What I absolutely HATED ABOUT THE FINALE EPISODE tonight was that how abruptly Salman Khan announced her name and how quickly he wanted to leave. I was waiting to hear Gauhar's thank you speech, her victory celebration with her family and comments from other participants about her victory, but it was saddening to see how unusual the wrap up was done and Salman announced going home even before the trophee was handed over. What the hell is his problem with Gauhar, I can never get it.

Gauhar Khan deserved to win and I am glad that first time in the history of reality TV shows, an honest and truly deserving contestant has won. All cheers and DUA for Gauhar!

"NASRUM MINALLI WAL FATAHUN QAREEB" as you said Gauhar.

What's for Dinner? - my favorite question... On Julie and Julia

Hi my Beautiful readers,

I hope each one of you had a wonderful Christmas wherever you may be. 

I recently saw the Hollywood movie Julie and Julia and wanted to share my feleings with you guys. Those of you who haven't seen the movie already, I have to say, it is a MUST WATCH!

“Two years ago, I was a twenty-nine year old secretary. Now I am a thirty-one year old writer. I get paid very well to sit around in my pajamas and type on my ridiculously fancy iMac, unless I'd rather take a nap. Feel free to hate me -- I certainly would.” 

― Julie Powell, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

Our usual films involve fight and action or romance and tragedy. This movie however is a beautiful exception to any movie you would have seen ever. It is based on not one but two real life stories. The modern day protagonist Julie Powell is not just a fictional character but the real blogger who achieved fame after she set up a cooking project on her popular blog. 

One might doubt that the movie is all about one modern day woman getting inspired by another legendary cook from the past. Yes, certainly, there is a lot of delicious cooking in the moive and both Amy Adams and Meryl Streep have done wonderful jobs playing those two characters. But the movie is much more than cooking.

The most prominent feature that touched me is the miserable life of Julie Powel. A woman who is talented and gifted but living a hard life with economic and financial troubles. The current world we live in, has absolutely no justice in terms of employment and earnings. There was a time when education was the factor which lead people out of menial jobs. But today, highly educated graduates work at retail and fast food centres on minimum wage. For writer, life is specially difficult because if they write, who would pay the bills? Aand if they work to pay the bills, when would thye write?

The second best feature of the movie is Chris Messina and his love for his wife. For any woman to succeed, it is crucial for her man to support her. Julie had melt downs and she often lost temper, she complained about life, the tiny apartment kitchen, the soul sucking job and her over the moon posh friends; but her husband was with her, no matter what. How often do you find men who support their wives through their melt downs and crazy tantrums? This is real love, more real than the one we see in romantic movies. The true strength of a couple, the butter to the bread.

 “You are the butter to my bread,and the breath to my life” ― Julia Child.

“Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It's not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about-I don't know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there's something else, somethng that these things grow out of. It's joy.” 

― Julie Powell, Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen

As always, Meryl Streep is a delight to watch. Her French attire, accent and acting is awesome. She does it with such ease, it feels absolutely natural. I dont know much about the actual Julia Child, whose character Meryl has played, but Meryl is surely another legend of an actress, if not a cook. 

More than everything else, the movie is about JOY- the feeling of happiness when you do something. Julie Powell found JOY in cooking and writing about her experiences and today she has all the fame in the world she had ever wanted. You can read more on her blog Julie Powell's Blog

You can also watch the trailer of the movie here

"What is it that you really like to do?"

"EAT"

You rock Julia, I wish I could declare this proudly in this world without people raising their brows and asking my weight. It is JOY what matters most, if a cake give me, cake it is!!!

Has Gauhar been victimized inside BB7 house? Why did GAUHAR get the LIAR TAG?

BB7 Contestant Gauhar Khan achieved the LIAR TAG in the house today as part of a task. I read about this question on many platforms where audience has been asked whether or not this is true and why. I will answer the question to the point and support it with reasons.

NO, GAUHAR KHAN HAS NOT BEEN VICTIMIZED

BUT

YES, SHE IS ON THE HITLIST OF OTHER HOUSEMATES!

Some may ask, what is the difference. A victim is normally a sufferer or someone who needs smypathy and is too weak to cope on her own. Gauhar is a strong headed woman and has played like a one man army, all the way long. Inspite of all the drama and Kushal, her only true support departing from the house, she has played well. Who says that a strong woman does not cry? Ofcourse, she does, but she pulls herself together and stays put for her goal.

Everyone in BB7 House has done wrong things, said bad words and participated in bitching. No human being is perfect even in real world and let us not forget that BB7  is a game and NOT  a test of MORALS AND UPBRINGING as Tanisha Mukherjee always claim. "I always stand for the right, I always say things from my heart", she actually must be ashamed of supporting Arman Kohli in his chauvinistic harassment. Time and again, Gauhar has pointed out for various reasons but the only flaw I see in Gauhar is that she has those leadership qualities, i,e she takes charge and responsibility. As was pointed out by Rajat Sharma as well "teacher"! That might be flaw for many becuase this is a competition and others may feel threatened to lose the game but in general, I do not see it as a flaw. With Kushal, she has had few arguments and what went wrong between the lovers, is best left to them to solve, unless it is as pathetic as Arman Kohli's abuse of Tanisha.

Since there are only 5 contestants now, it is clear that all of them are on one side and Gauhar is on the other, all by herself. It is commendable to see how well she is facing everyone and living among people who dislike her and want her to loose the game. Each one of the contestants know that the chances of Gauhar winning the show are much higher which is why they feel threatened and it is visible in their words. She certainly is on the HITLIST of the housemates because she is the strongest of them all. Again, the show is NOT about the most pious, chaste and moralistic one in the house, but someone who has entertained the audiences and enjoyed him or herself without being awfully mean to the others.


H. L. Mencken said-

"It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place." THIS IS WHY TANISHA DOES NOT BELIEVE GAUHAR AND THIS IS WHY GAUHAR WON THE LIAR TAG!

MEGA LOLZ for you,a life time of pain for others...IAN WATKINS-Mr Pedophile

Applauding Judge, Mr Justice Royce who passed the decision to put IAN WATKINS in prison for 35 years for his extreme offences.
Read more here...

What is shocking is that, the more human civilization progresses, the further away from morality it goes. This is the animal generation, it feels. We live among people who are worse than animals and beasts. Ian Watkins, a lead singer, a person loved by many, called baby rape as something 'funny- mega lolz'. On reading such things you can either burst out in rage or feel sorry for such people who are mentally ill to the limit that they have forgotten the difference between sanity and insanity.

As much as we try to motivate women to speak up about abuse and domestic violence, we need much more attention to protect babies and children. At such tender age, when all they must see,hear and feel is love; no child deserves to suffer for the insanity of a mentally sick and disgusting man.
Help STOP child abuse. There are various organizations such as the Young Minds, Action for Children, Child's Dream, BASPCAN, NAPAC and ofcourse the famous NSPCC which are doing great work to protect the nations kids. Seek help and donate whatever you can to help protect more and more innocent lives.

Hats off Detective Chief Inspector Peter Doyle and Justice Royce for putting hte man where he belongs.

Babies need love, lets promise to give them what they deserve.

Love and Peace,

Ciao!

6 Shameful injustices done in BB7

Arman Kohli, who was sent out of Bigg Boss 7 house yesterday, but was brought back inside today aparantly. What is really amazing is that how easy it is for a criminal to abuse every single person on the show and then come back like nothing ever happened!

Bigg Boss team and Endemol India must understand that this is not just about a show anymore. You cannot shelter a criminal on national TV just because the guy belongs to a reputed family. The show is popular in the UK and USA too and the kind of image you are portraying of India, is really unhealthy. Game is game only until the players abide by some basic ground rules.

Since the beginning of the show, SALMAN KHAN, Bigg Boss himself and even guests have been constantly unfair towards Kushal and Gauhar.

1.Kushal was disgraced instead of Tanisha when she pushed him in rage.
2. Gauhar did her best to be fair when she was responsible for the factory task but Big Boss humiliated her saying that she was unfair.
3. Salman Khan does not spare one chance to humiliate Kushal, while he barely points out on Arman.
4. When Kushal and Aijaz were called 'PUPPETS' by Sachin Joshi, they both had all the right to be angry on Sachin. As usual, Salman Khan insulted Kushal and Aijaz for being unwelcoming towards guests. Salman and Bigg Boss must be thankful that Kushal did not begin to fight then and there with Sachin for making such cheap and offensive remarks towards them. Who gave Sachin Joshi the right to visit someone at their home and humiliate them? Why couldnt he watch his mouth?

5. Arman's assault on Sofia was completely ignored both by Bigg Boss (by just giving Arman a simple warning) and by Salman Khan who changed the topic to Kushal and spared Arman any answers related to it. Just saying 'it was wrong' to Arman is different from half an hour lecture and humiliation that Salman gave to Kushal.
6. In the life bottle task, Arman was brought back in the middle and Gauhar could not win. Arman did not deserve to be back at all.

The list is endless but the point is the image you portray of India as country to the world through such programs. Another truly hypocritical and shameful thing was the fact that no one from Arman or Tanisha's family came to see them or these people acting in the show that others are all low lives and just because they belong to actor families, they are some kind of special people.

This is heights of hypocrisy. Just because others do not belong to Bollywood families, does it mean they are not respectable? And if the show Bigg Boss is that low and cheap, why did Tanisha and Arman chose to participate in the first place? Other TV actors are much more successful than these both losers and just having a rich family does not make any of them more deserving.

The show is a perfect reflection of the true Indian society, the way rich and powerful behave, the dirt in their actions, the assault and abuse they portray without shame and the reason why injustice prevails in India.

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. 

Elie Wiesel

Please post your thoughts and remarks on the comments section below. 

Love and Peace
Ciao!

JUSTICE DELAYED BUT NOT DENIED, but for how long?.Big Boss 7 house under spotlight

This season of BIGG BOSS 7 has been very different from all the other seasons ever. There have been crazy fights, nasty name callings and weird arguments in all seasons but this seasons participants have moved a step ahead in terms of disgracing the show itself.

Speaking directly about Arman Kohli, congratulations to Sofia Hayat @sofiahayat for taking the step and bringing him to prison. Shame on Indian Judiciary and BIG BOSS 7 Team that mere INR50,000 are enough to allow a criminal to be on National TV.

ON SOFIA HAYAT
Among all the contestants in the Bigg Boss house, she is the only one who had the guts to stand up for herself against a chauvinistic pervert- ARMAN KOHLI! People have commented on Sofia Hayat both positively and negatively. Many people are biased just for the reason that she is not an Indian.I think that is the only reason why she had the guts to make a formal complaint regarding the abuse because all the other Indian women on the show admit his narcissistic attitude as a norm and try to play by his rules to maintain peace in the house. Others advice her to see a doctor as she admitted she has anxiety issues and stuff.

Guys, here the point is NOT about Sofia's health or morality. What she does in her personal life and what is her career like CANNOT justify Arman's violence. So, despite her issues, she is the only wise woman who did not take crap from ARMAN. Silence is violence and by breaking the silence on this issue, Sofia has done a job which others could not do.

ON TANISHA
I have read blogs where people say that she is taking crap from Arman in order to keep peace with him so she can have his loyal vote for the entire show. The 'just-friends' love affair between her and Arman Kohli is a strategy she is playing to win the game.

Again, whether or not it is a strategy, it is shameful that a woman is accepting domestic violence on national TV and portraying it as 'doing the right thing'. I hate when Tanisha stands up and talks on standing for the right and being all modest. The moment when Sofia was going out of the house after Arman's violent attack, instead of sympathing with her, she was making fun of her with Andy and passing hurtful remarks. Tanisha must be ashamed of herself.

When Tanisha had pushed Kushal, I was so disappointed that SALMAN KHAN acted so biased towards the issue. OPEN YOUR EYES AND BRAIN, INDIA- THIS IS WHY GENDER EQUALITY DOES NOT BLOOM IN INDIA, BECAUSE PEOPLE LIKE THESE, MISREPRESENT IT!!!

Or talk about the episode when Arman pulled the chair on which Tanish was sitting by the kitchen counter. What kind of a middle aged man does that thing?

Look at these pictures and just think...are we living in 50s where women were treated like this and it was all OK?

Is this how you treat people in the house or at work, just because they do not do everything exactly the way you want?

I am a hardcore feminist and I am all for women power but NOT when the woman is devil and the man is innocent. Anger or no anger, she must NOT have pushed Kushal. Similarly, when Sofia was playing around with the mop and bucket, Arman had nothing to do with it. He was all dramatic about "saving Tanisha" from the dirty water, but it amazes me really- how stupid  can Arman be? Tanisha was sitting in the middle of the front seat, there was NO WAY the water could have ever reached her.

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?
What Arman Kohli does is a classic example of DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. This is why Indian men are ranked shamefully as the worlds top most violent men and more than 40% of our women accept it as a part of life and agree that they deserve it. Tanisha is one of them.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is not just physical, speaking in loud voice, swearing and abusing, making personal remarks is all ABUSE. Arman Kohli is a typical case of abusers who burst out and then apologizes for his actions. APOLOGY is only good for things done unintentionally.

ARMAN either needs to be in the prison or at a psychiatric ward at a mental hospital getting therapy for his unhealthy attitude towards others. Chose one of these for ARMAN but he does NOT deserve to be inside the Big Boss house. It is the responsibility of ENDEMOL INDIA to ensure that criminals are not allowed in the house and especially not the people who are abusive on TV within the house itself.

This is to Endemol, Big Boss 7 team and to India as a nation-
why do we have to wait for a woman to die or get absolutely injured, and only then we accept that the man is abusive and an offender? 

Please STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE at the root; just like this incident. Send Arman Kohli either to prison on grounds of emotional, physical and mental abuse not just on Sofia but all other contestants. Or if he admits that he is suffering from the Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Disorder, Psychotic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Antisocial, Borderline, Paranoid and Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Adjustment Disorder with Disturbance of Conduct, and Intermittent Explosive Disorder, send him to a therapist.

IF THIS IS HIS PERSONALITY ON CAMERA, CAN YOU EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THIS MAN WOULD BE LIKE IN REAL LIFE? It is high time now India stand for not letting an abuser kill a woman and then do something about it. AND SALMAN KHAN BETTER NOT DEFEND ARMAN KOHLI THIS TIME.



“Never let a man put his hands on you without your permission.”
― Melda Beaty, Lime

MY First Piece on The Milli Gazette

Hi my lovely readers,
Here I am with a column on The Milli Gazette :)
Get in touch with your questions on education and career in the UK.

Looking forward to hear from you guys.
Love and Peace

Ciao

Feels FAB to be on FILMYSTAN

Hi again my beautiful readers,
Another surprise for today- my review on the Bollywood diary itself. Read more in here
Shahla on FILMISTAN

Enjoy readers.
Thanks ROY D SILVA...

Love and Peace

Ciao

Interviewed by MORGEN BAILEY

Hi my beautiful readers,
Another lovely surprise this morning...
http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com/2013/12/17/author-spotlight-no-350-shahla-khan/#comments

Thanks Morgen for posting...

Love and Peace
Ciao

30 Second story Challenge by Indie Author Land

The 4 Word Challenge

in which we give one of our favourite authors 4 random words - Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness - and challenge them to tell us a story.

Divorced woman, Sandra is late for her the flight of her life to San Fransisco. Soaking wet with New York’s pouring rain, she reaches the airport and barely makes it onto the flight.The man sitting next to her is weird. There is something weird about his eyes; they are deep, intense and focused. Sandra’s wet dress and her chattering teeth are a major distraction. In a matter of seconds, he pulls his jacket forward to find a napkin for Sandra, she notices the reason for his weirdness: a gun. She knows he is a hijacker who has now placed his hands on her lips and is pressing her down with all his weight. In the darkness of the takeoff position, when everyone is tied to their seats with the belts, Sandra is lost deep in the eyes of a strange man who was here to kill her but was just giving her a napkin to wipe her face…

Life is messy as hell and really funny sometimes. The man had practiced this in his mind several times. The takeoff, the announcement of hijacking, the killing of innocent passengers, the taking over of the aircraft and following orders of his boss. But in the flash of a second it got washed away and now all he can think of is a strange woman next to him in a soaking wet, thin piece of fabric, carrying the lost love sadness in her eyes and not defending herself even for a second from the strong arms of this man capturing her to her entirety.

• Shahla Khan, author of I Want Back My SPARKLE (US, UK, CAN,AUS)

Visit INDIE AUTHOR LAND

SPARKLE CONTEST IS NOW ON...

Can you tell us a Short Story?
Can you rhyme a poem?
Can you take pictures?
Have you written a personal essay in a secret diary?

Go to the Contest page to read more and win great prizes. Great opportunity to build your portfolio. 
To find out more, go to http://www.shahla-khan.com/sparkle-contest

Interview with Shahla Khan, author of I Want Back My SPARKLE

Hello again readers,
Its Friday, the 13th and I have great news! You can read more about my book and myself on my interview with Indie Author Land, great books, no middlemen!

Don't forget read the fantastic storyline in the end. Thanks David and Indie Author Land. Please follow the link here Interview with Shahla Khan on Indie Author Land

Love and Peace,
Ciao!

Readers Muse Review on I WANT BACK MY SPARKLE-Breaking the chains of gender slavery

Readers Muse Review on I WANT BACK MY SPARKLE

Hey my beautiful readers,
Glad to see my book reviewed by Shree Janani on their blog. Thanks for the 5 out 5 rating. I agree the book may seem overpriced for the Indian market because of the conversion. But the book will be published in India in January, with a special price exclusive to the Indian market.

Once again, thanks for the great words. I hope I continue to write on matters that matter. I want to congratulate Reader's Muse for running such a meaningful campaign.

Love and Peace
Ciao!