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Million Dollar Arm Actor Aasif Mandvi Interview

May 22, 2014 by Momstart 2 Comments

Million Dollar Arm enters theaters today and it’s a great movie to go see. You learn the story of two sports agents that come up with a great idea about finding talent in India. Aasif Mandvi plays Aash who he already knew.

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Q:  What was it like portraying a real live person instead of making it up totally and what kind of inspiration did you get from the actual Aash?

Aasif Mandvi:   Well I know Aash.  I’ve known him from before I did this movie.  So we have mutual friends.  And he’s not married.  He doesn’t have kids.  The real Aash is very different than the Aash in the movie so I didn’t really worry about trying to portray him at all.  I just created a character for the purposes of the film because the real Aash is more like JB in the sense of he’s kind of like a single guy.  He’s a tough guy in San Francisco.  It was interesting to play someone who actually is a real person.  I’d never done that before.  So now people always want to take pictures of the two of us together.  And he’s thrilled because like I said, we’ve known each other for a long time.  So it’s exciting for him to have somebody he knows actually portray him in the film so it was good.

Aasif Mandvi was a pleasure to interview. He was funny laid back and just seemed like a great guy. I mean as you can tell this was a fun project for him, it shows in the interview and the acting he did in the movie. Here is the rest of the interview with him.

 

Q:  I read you were a performer at Walt Disney World and now you are in Disney’s Million Dollar Arm, what has that experience been like going into this?

Aasif Mandvi:   In terms of like being Disney?  Uh, well you know, I was a street performer at the Disney/MGM Studios and now I was like in a Disney movie so it’s a very, very different experience.  There’s less catering involved.  You don’t get a trailer, you don’t get catering, make up and hair, nothing.  So it was great.  Disney’s MGM Studios was first job out of college so it was kind of an amazing experience.  It was my first professional acting job, you know, it was really fun.  Like we sort of opened the MGM Studios back in ’89 and did these street performing characters and so it was a great place to learn comedy and learn improv and  it was amazing, you know.  So it was right.  Funny when I started.  I hope this is not where I end but it’s where I started, you know.  So yeah it came full circle, right?

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Q:  So what was your favorite scene to film in the movie and why?

Aasif Mandvi:   My favorite scene to film.  I mean, it was really actually fun going to India and shooting because you know, having been born there and have family there and have visited India many times, it’s a whole different experience when you go with an American film crew to India.  It’s actually the best way to see India is to be in the bubble of a big Hollywood production.  You don’t have to deal with any riff raff going around, you know, and having an air conditioned car and stuff.  It was great.  I got to see the Taj Mahal, which I’ve always wanted to and never had.  And now I got to do it on Disney’s dime so you know, so it was kind of great.  Yeah.

Q:  I liked the way your character was the funny man next to Jon Hamm’s straight man.  Was that what attracted you to the role and what was it that made you want to do this Film?

Aasif Mandvi:  I think he’s funny but he’s also the grounding character, you know.  He’s the one that sort of is the counter point to Jon Hamm’s sort of playboy lothario character.  I like that aspect of it. I also feel like it was an interesting character to see as a south Asian sports agent because I don’t know any, you know.  I’m sure there are but it was sort of an interesting character to play, somebody I never played before so I felt that was kind of fun.  And then I got to work with Jon Hamm every day who is dreamy so…  (everyone laughs) I got do that, you know.

Q:  What was it like working with the babies?

Aasif Mandvi:   Oh the twins.  Well, ok, so they had two sets of twins.  So it wasn’t the same (babies), but you can’t tell because they’re Indian and probably look alike.  (everyone laughs)  But if you watch closely, you see that they’re actually two sets of different twins.  The twins that I’m feeding in the kitchen are not the same twins that I’m holding on the porch.    So we’ve got these two sets of Indian parents who have these two sets of twins and they’re – poor things -  sort of hiding off in the corner like new parents –  and the kids would just cry.  And the scene was not about these kids crying, and — and Craig Craig Gillespie the Director was like, you know kids cry.  So let him just cry because there’s no way we can stop them from crying.  So we just used it.  So Craig’s theory was like every time we see Ash and his children, his children are just screaming.  And that’s just the reality of his life.  So in the bed, they’re crying.  They weren’t supposed to be crying.  In the kitchen, they’re crying.  And then, the pièce de résistance is that on the porch, the kids were again, crying and I’m supposed to be holding them, and the kid is literally screaming for his mother.  He’s just like, I don’t care about your stupid movie, I want to be with my mom.  And he’s like MOM!  And finally I said to Craig, listen, I can’t do this anymore.  There’s snot coming out of him and he’s crying.  He’s just a mess, you know.  And Craig was like, listen we’ve got to get this shot, OK?  We need this shot.  I don’t care how much,  just let the kid cry.  I don’t care.  Just grab him, walk out onto the porch, we get the shot, we’re done. We’re out of here.  So I’m like fine.  So they roll action, I grab this kid, it’s like pulling cheese off a pizza.  I grab this kid, and we go running on to the porch and I’m standing there getting the shot.  I’m shaking him and then suddenly he looks at me and just puked.  (we are all dying laughing)  And it’s just all over my clothes.  And twice, he did it twice.  And it’s in the movie.  And you can see it.  So like it’s totally real.  I take the kid, I’m holding him out here like “an actor” who’s suddenly been puked on and the kid is just puking.  He’s just –there’s puke everywhere.  It’s all in my clothes, in my hair.  But we got the shot.

Q:  Had you read the story before you read the script?

Aasif Mandvi:  No I’d never heard of it.  I’m also not a huge sports guy so I didn’t know about the story at all but when I heard about it because I knew Aash.  And then there was this whole thing of like oh, there’s this movie being made called “Million Dollar Arm” with these two (Indian baseball players) and Aash was the guy who got them to America and you know, I knew all of it through my friends and that my friend Aash was involved in making this movie.  That’s how I found out about it.

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Q:  Are you working on any new projects right now?

Aasif Mandvi:  I’m actually doing an HBO Series called “The Brink” with Jack Black and Tim Robbins so that’s gonna come out next year.  It’s good.  It’s a comedy about the end of the world and sort of like the world is on the brink of Armageddon.  It’s a Geo-Political Comedy.  It’s sort of like seen through the eyes of 3 departments of US Government so State Department, Foreign Service, and the Military but it’s a Comedy.  And it’s a half hour.  So it’s sort of like Dr. Strangelove.  It’s nice cause like they stuff I have done on the Daily Show for years is sort of in that vein of clearly satirical political sort of stuff.  And so this is kind of in keeping with that stuff but it’s from a narrative standpoint, so I’m working on that. 

And I have a book coming out at the end of the year.  So you guys can all blog about that.  The book is called “No Land’s Man” and it’s basically stories of my life from like growing up as a kid in England to like moving to Florida and being a high school student in Florida and then coming to New York, and my career.  So it’s sort of essays, humorous essays that are kind of Sedarisesque sort of stories.  So that’s coming out in November.

Q:  Talk about working with the guys on set.

Aasif Mandvi:  With Madhur and Suraj?  Yeah, no they’re great.  You know, cause I’m a lot older than them so they sort of became like little brothers to me.  Suraj is like really sort of nice and easy going.  And Mad was kind of a pain in the ass.  So I had that very sort of familial relationship with the two of them.  But they were great.  I mean you know it was really fun to get to work with other Indian actors, which is so rare. Usually like you’re the only South Asian actor of a set of a Hollywood movie.  And then also, Pitobash who’s so great.  He played Amit, the little guy.  So he was so great.  This was a great experience.  Everyone was so great to work with.IMG_1548

Q:  What do you hope people take away when they’re watching the Movie?

Aasif Mandvi:  It’s a very American story.  It’s a very sort of American Dream, the idea that anything is possible.  I mean, I was talking Rinku about it – the real Rinku – and I was asking, do you feel like proud or whatever, he was kind of like really sort of philosophical about it and he kind of was like, “I don’t, like cause it’s just what happened to me.  Like I just I went to this audition and this thing happened.  It is a story for the world but for me, it’s just my life, it’s just what happened and now what I’m really interested in, is being the best baseball player that I can be.”  So like he’s really focused on sort of just being a baseball player.  This whole sort of like inspirational story that happened is really kind of the stuff that movies are made of.  It’s not like relevant to his life as it is today.

Q:  Now that the story is being told, how d you think it will impact those maybe in India, that gets a chance to see this story?

Aasif Mandvi:  Um, I don’t know how it’ll impact people in India.  I think that I’ll be curious to see.  I think the stuff has an emotional element to it.  There’s a sort of an Indian kind of pride sort of thing about it.  But I don’t know how people will take to it.  I know like for example, when “Slumdog Millionaire” came out, a lot of people in India didn’t like the Movie.  They were sort of like, oh this is India for Western people, you know.  Sometimes there’s a kind of exoticization – exoticization, is that even a word?  (We laugh)  An exoticism of India, you know what I mean?  Like the poverty.  But I think this movie actually takes a really great sort of realistic approach to like what it is, like that scene with Vivek and and JB where he’s talking about like where the posters.  That is so the experience of the average Indian person in India.  It’s a middle class Indian person’s life in India, which is like dealing with the bureaucracy and the sort of red tape of like the system.  You know what I mean?  Everything in India that is sort of like, makes it harder than it really should be.  So I think there’s interesting sort of observations about India that are very true in this film.  So I’ll be curious to see how it plays to the masses over there.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: aasif Mandvi, Disney, interview, Million dollar arm, movie, movie interview

Million Dollar Arm Review #MillionDollarArmEvent

May 16, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

At first when I saw the trailer for The Million Dollar Arm I thought, this movie is a rip off of Show Me The Money Jerry Maguire; because I had no idea it’s based off a true story. A sports agent named JB Bernstein came up with the idea of going to India to find boys with a pitching talent. Now India is a nation that at the time was more obsessed with playing cricket than it was with knowing anything at all about baseball. I think it’s still true just because our neighbors who happen to be from India still love to play cricket.

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Anyway, the movie Million Dollar Arm comes out in theaters today and I recommend going to see it because it’s so much better than the trailers make it out to be. The Sports agent JB Bernstein is played by Jon Hamm(Mad Men) and he does an amazing job playing a shallow guy that is looking out only for himself desperate to find someone to represent in the Sports industry. Who later transforms into a guy with heart. Traveling to India to find Rinku and Dinesh and seeing their situation wasn’t enough to change him. It ended up a team effort for JB to see that there is much more to life than money and super models.

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With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed re red baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mi al from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are defi nitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never le  their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the fi ner points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

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I cried and laughed and really enjoyed the movie so much more than I thought I would. I feel like the trailers do not do this movie justice. It’s the movie that is so under played in advertising. It’s an inspiring story that needs to be seen.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: Disney, Million dollar arm, movie, Movie review

Million Dollar Arm Interview with JB Bernstein, Rinku and Dinesh The True Story

May 15, 2014 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Million Dollar Arm is based on a true story about three amazing guys JB, Rinku, AND Dinesh. JB Bernstein is the sports agent with a great idea about finding talent in India a country that at the time had never really been interested in baseball before. The two boys Rinku and Dinesh were boys from the “sticks” with dreams of just taking care of their family, nothing big, nothing full of opportunity and this was the chance of a lifetime for them, the adventure of the Million Dollar Arm changed their lives. I sat down with 25 other bloggers and we had the opportunity to interview all three of them together.

Interview with JB, Rinku, AND Dinesh

 

 

Q:  In the Movie, it shows you came to decide to do “The Million Dollar Arm” contest.  Would you say it was relatively accurate to how you actually began the Million Dollar Arm journey?

JB:  You know, some of the things they touch on is that the inspirations are accurate like you know, American Idol and seeing cricket.  But like any idea, I have business partners and they were part of the idea generation but it’s hard to tell a movie from 80 points of view.  In reality, my two business partners, Will Chang and Aasif Suferat, where both in the movie, and they helped and we kind of were all thinking about these things separately and it wasn’t really until we came together that the idea, came from this nebulous fuzzy thing of – hey, we should try to find talent in India too.  We should try to do this type of game show and see if we could find some athletes.  So it’s — it’s pretty accurate in that it shows the inspirations for things but obviously, I’m not smart enough to come up with this idea about myself.

Q:  The movie we’re left with seeing that you and Brenda now have a daughter, right?  So just what’s life like for you being a dad and what kind of advice would you give to dads?

JB:  Wow, Delphine’s only 3 so I don’t know that I would qualify to give advice just yet after only 3 years.  I’m still probably taking advice.  Having Rinku and Dinesh live with me gave me a taste of fatherhood.  It reminded me of the importance of family.  It reminded me of the importance of being surrounded by people that you love and that love you.  And being able to take pride in other people’s accomplishments, a lot of the rudimentary lessons of life came back into focus, so I think in a lot of ways, I started being a parent, although kind of Baptism by fire with these guys.

And then with Delphine, the best advice I can give to any parent I think is to treasure your time.  It’s almost inconceivable that she’s 3 years old.  It’s almost inconceivable that this was 2008 and 2009 when these guys were living with me.  It just, the time goes so fast, and there’s no way you can possibly cherish time enough with your kids.  So I guess that’s the best advice I can give.  Other than that, I’m actually in the taking advice mode so if you have any, just text.  A lot of you have been tweeting me.  Send out all the advice.  I’m taking it.

Q:  Watching this movie and seeing your lives, how does it feel seeing yourself in the movie?

DINESH: (Who is very shy and lives back in India now, so English isn’t his first everyday language anymore.  He has a great smile, and is just happy to be here and is super sweet with his broken English) This is a big deal for me.  I’m very happy and my family is also happy, so good deal.

Q:  What about Suraj playing you?

RINKU:  (He’s not shy.  His English is much stronger yet too has an accent.  He’s very nice and seems more Americanized.  He was much more open to answering questions.) He’s done a great job.  I mean, he’s not just a great actor, he’s also a great human.  Meeting him as a person, it just really meant a lot how he really was nice and plus seeing this movie.  I really liked it.  It was pretty, inspirational and he done a great job.  And the way he actually did it, was awesome.  I really liked it.  That really made me reminded me of 2008, little Indian that I was.  (We all laugh!)

Q:  How was it learning the game?

RINKU:  Yes, it really takes some time.  Just like, if you took an American baseball player and make them become a cricket player, they have no idea how to pitch in Cricket, right?  So that was totally different world for me coming here and playing professional baseball.  Had no idea.  It did take a year but I believe that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing in your life if you’re willing to give whatever you got inside and out, you are gonna succeed.  So it took to a year.

Q:  In the movie, it was really important part when you guys left India.  What was that like to leave your families and what kind of role has family played in your life?

DINESH:  My parents were really afraid by my leaving.  They say, don’t go because this is the new world for me.  And we didn’t travel out so they were very afraid.

RINKU:  It was told now we didn’t just leave the family. Beside the family, we left our culture, family, friends, food, and we were just 18 year old kids.  Making that huge decision wasn’t easy for us.  That was just on top of everywhere.  What are we gonna do without knowing anything about American culture.  We don’t know language.  We don’t know anybody besides JB.  And our parents, they were really afraid cause we never went out of the country.

And that really changes our life, you know.  That really teaches us, whatever come to your life, you make that decision if you’re willing to just like I said, you’re willing to give in and out, you are gonna be happy for the decision you made.  So I’m really proud of the decision I made being in America.  It’s totally amazing.  It have changed my life, changed my family life, and you know, I wanted to stay here.

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Q:  If you could do everything all over again, would you do that?

RINKU:  Would love to.  Would love to.  I’m learning a lot.  I didn’t just walk through, that journey teaches a lot of things.  It really make me and Dinesh like a all the people working “The Million Dollar Arm”, it really, for me personally, I grew up a lot from that.  I wouldn’t be the man I am today if I wasn’t for the experience.

Q:  (Premiere of Million Dollar Arm was right after the interviews.)  With the premiere tonight, how do you feel?  Are you excited?

 

DINESH:  Yeah, I’m very excited.

JB:  Rinku had the chance to screen the movie for his team down in Renton.  Dinesh actually was at a screening with us with the Indian Ambassador of the United States.  These guys have met Obama.  I’ve been a sports agent for 20 years.  I’ve never done anything good until I met these guys.  You know, Lisa actually got to go to the White House so with them, who was our publicist over there.  I was getting married that day.

I would probably speak for all of us when we say that this is a really personal journey for us.  It’s not like your traditional business deal that I’ve done, this is something that obviously is a very pivotal point in our life.  So you know, our hope is really two things.  One is that people take away what these guys have endured, persevered in order to be successful and take away that lesson that you know, dreams are possible in this Country more so than maybe anywhere else in the world.  Now for kids, to be able to look at Rinku and Dinesh as role models and say look, if these guys did this, you know, I can do anything.

It’s that first spark of hope not just for kids in India but for kids here, for kids everywhere.  They have these two guys to look at, who have done something that’s never been done in the history of the world, to go from a position of never hearing of the sport.  Rinku won his first game 13 months from the day he picked up a baseball.  Dinesh won his first game 14 months from the first day that he picked up a baseball.  And I mean, that’s just unheard of.  I’ve been a sports man my whole life.  I’ve been an agent my whole adult life.  I’ve never heard of anything like this.  I never heard of anybody even thinking something like this could be possible.

For my story, I think that I’m excited for people who realize it’s never too late to change.  It’s never too late to be a better person and it’s not that I was a bad person.  I think I was somewhat one dimensional.  Everybody asks, were you really that big a jerk and I side stepped that question because I was like, well, I didn’t feel like a jerk at the time.  I wasn’t trying to be.  I just was very myopic and I think that, thanks to these guys, thanks to my family, I have a much different view.  So I’m kind of hoping that those two things come through to the general audience but it’s exciting to be able after 6 years of negotiating and filming and whatever, to be able to actually finally share this with the world.

Q:  How is the experience of the movie impacted your lives?

RINKU:  Lot of grown up young kids that look at us as a, role model and even Dinesh like went back to our country, he helped a lot of kids teaching them how to play baseball and really help those kids.   Sharing his journey, what he had been through that his journey meant a lot to those kids.  It’s like when I was growing up like those kids.  I had the same dream (many of those do today) to just get a job, support family, that’s it.

But since we did something different than those kids, it really opened their eyes and they are dreaming big now just like we gave them proof.  We give them hope, even their moms and dads.  They talk about, they (want to) be like Rinku and Dinesh.  We already have done enough to make them realize  that if you want to see dreams, see something big.  So those kids really seeing their dream in us so…

JB:  I’m excited that there’s this many questions.  Usually I get up here and it’s Crickets so…

Q:  At the end of the movie, it talks about how you’re still involved in “The Million Dollar Arm.”  Is that something you’re still running in India or is it in different country now?

JB:  No, still running it in India.  We’ll start our 3rd season this winter.  Our first season, we saw about 38,000 kids.  This year we’ll see half a million. (Amazing right?) So Major League Baseball is now playing a big part in it.  Disney, Simon & Shuster.  You know, we have a lot more muscle to flex than it was just me, Rinku, Dinesh, Aash and Will.  Not that the 5 of us aren’t formidable on some level.  We have a little bit more muscle to flex and a little bit bigger microphone so I’m hoping kind of what Rinku said, I’m sure we’ll find talent and there’s a monetary side to this thing.  But there’s a social side to this thing that really none of us saw coming that has really become the primary focus of “Million Dollar Arm” which sound weird for an agent to say cause you know, I’m suppose to be about making money. But um, this is a unique opportunity we have to have almost a social revolution.

Q:  My question is for Rinku and Dinesh.  Have your families been able to come to America to see your new life and if so, how do they feel about it?

RINKU:  Answer is no, they haven’t.  First of all, it’s gonna be a big cultural change for them.  And plus baseball life is too busy.  Family might then come here.  First of all, they’re not gonna like it as I won’t be able to give them time.  And I really don’t want my parents to feel that way.  So I’m thinking when I’m gonna make it, I will definitely gonna bring them over here to see.  And obviously, they are talking about, changing life.  They already have seen enough, since we’ve moved to the states, and going back to India, they already have enough how much we have changed and how much we have changed their life.

JB:  Immigration is not easy either.  You get the passports and visas and when Rinku makes the majors, we’ll make a herculean effort to make sure his parents are there though.

Q:  In the film you have a love for Porches.  What are you driving these days?

JB:  You know what’s funny is with my current family, I’ve actually gotten rid of two Porsches, got rid of the Carrera.  I couldn’t even keep the 4-Door.  I couldn’t even keep the Panamera.  But we have what I like to call our tank which is our Volvo.  That’s the only thing our kids allowed in.  And then we have a Cadillac so yeah we got rid of all of our (other cars).  I got my Mustang.  Rinku actually has a Mustang now.  Living vicariously once again through Rinku. (We all laugh.)

Q:  Earlier you mentioned that the collaboration of the idea “The Million Dollar Arm” was between you, Chang, and Aash.  So at the end of the Movie, the second try out was happening, Chang said that he was not going to back you.  Was that an actual event that happened?

JB:  No you know, Will is probably the nicest…first of all, Chang, it’s funny like I laughed when you said Chang because his name’s Will.  No one calls him Chang.  It was just something that was kind of invented with the movie script.  And you know, Rinku probably says it best.  With a Movie, this is a true story but they sprinkle a little cream on top to make it Hollywood.  So one of the things that was probably the most dramatically changed from reality is Will.  If I’d come to Will and said, Will you know, we need 5 years more, he’d be like OK, what’s next.  You know, wouldn’t, like not even skip a beat.

He’s not really a mean guy but it works so much better in the movie for me to be under that kind of fear and pressure.  So they threw that in there but in reality, he’s a super nice guy and he was as invested and continues to be as invested in these guys success and whatever is best for them.  You know, that’s what the 3 of us do together.

Q:  What was it like for Jon Hamm on the Big Screen with you?

 

JB:  Well you know, the resemblance is striking. (We all laugh.) And I mean that by if they struck Jon in the face with a shovel.  I can’t speak to what it was like for him to play me but I can tell you what it was like for me and have him play this role.  As you guys know I’m sure, some of you by demographic watch “Mad Men.”  I guess a lot of women watch that show.  I don’t know why.

RINKU:  Obviously, cause they love him.

JB:  Exactly, exactly.  It’s a good show.  He’s probably one of the hottest actors in Hollywood.  Everybody’s throwing parts at him.  Every studio wants to get him into a film.  They realize “Mad Men’s winding down.  He’s the “It” guy.

So the fact that with everything available to you that he chose to play me is very humbling and surreal.  He gets me really, really well. 

It was really humbling and he’s become a good friend and someone that I really care about and someone who is just a genuinely good guy.  You meet a lot of celebrities in my line of business and you realize they’re just like regular people.  Some are very nice and some are jerks and the richer they are, the more free they are to be their true person and Jon is just one of these guys who probably has been the same since he was a kid.  He’s the same guy, very even keeled, nice guy and I’m really lucky to have him play me.  It hasn’t much at home though.  My 3 year old doesn’t know who Jon Hamm is and doesn’t care.

 

Q:  Dinesh, I read that you conquered this part.  You started professional javelin.  What sports if any would you like to learn and conquer next and for Rinku, I read that you actually like listening to Eminem before you pitch.  I’d like to know what else do you do before you get out on the field at home?

Dinesh

DINESH:  Volleyball.

JB:  There’s not a lot of 5 11 guys in volleyball but you know, I’m not gonna tell this guy not to dream.

RINKU:  Beside Eminem, there’s always a reminder that I don’t want to go back where I’m coming from.  I want to make the changes where I’m coming from that really keeps me going cause like we just talked about earlier that there’s so many kids back home they’re seeing their dreaming in me so I really have to get going no matter what.

Whether I listen to Eminem, whether I don’t listen but before a game, it really make me realize that this is going to be my day, every game I pitch, it’s like my last game.  This is like last game I’m pitching.  So that’s how I keep it and that really helps.

Q:  So obviously, the movies portray Indians a certain way and like the cities that you came from.  A lot of Americans obviously have never been to India.  Just as many people that live there haven’t been here.  How do you feel about the portrayal compared to how it actually is?

 

RINKU:  That’s a good question.  First of all, you’ve never been to India, right?  How many of you been to India?  OK, so let’s talk if I’m Indian.  I’ve never been to America.  I’m going to be thinking exactly the same thing as you’re thinking right now cause you never been.  I never had been to America just like you never been to India.  There’s so many places that it is like that.  If you really wanted to make movie, you can go even out in country, in America.  You find places like that, that you can make it look like that.  I’ve been here for 6 years.  So there are places like that in India but it’s a movie, it’s not 100% true.

JB:  To add onto what Rinku is saying is India, cause I’ve been to a lot of places in India, maybe even more than these guys.  And it’s so diverse.  There are so many types of places.  There’s huge cities obviously Delhi and Bangalore.  These amazing technical centers, huge office buildings.  Proctor and Gamble, Apple, everybody’s there.  Then there are villages like where these guys came from which are kind of rural, just what you would almost call middle class.  Farming Villages.  Everybody lives off the land.  They have honorable jobs.  They work hard with strong family units.  There are villages that are somewhere in between.  They’re like what you might call mid-cities like Varanasi which is about 30 minutes from where Dinesh lives, which happens to be the birthplace of 3 religions.  It’s more of an old world city than a city like Delhi which looks almost like Boston or something.  The diversity from place to place is so broad that there’s no way you could do a movie about India and characterize the entire country, but where these guys came from were what India might consider almost like middle classes, nice farming villages.  They both had good homes.  They both had good families.

 

They both went to high school.  As a matter of fact, Rinku’s family especially, I think you’re very proud that your father was able to send all the 7 kids through school.  Every single one of them.  It’s really an amazing thing.  His dad, as amazing as Rinku is, I hope you don’t mind me saying, his dad is even more amazing.  Rinku and Dinesh’s parents as well, the lengths that they went to, to keep the family together and I think that’s kind of apropos for this group, is amazing.  And that’s the story more so than the geography or the trappings of villages or whatever it may be, is the length Indian families will go to keep together as a family is how, the best way I would characterize India.  Is that fair?

RINKU:  You said it perfect.

Q:  In the 6 years that you guys have been here, do you feel like you’re much more acclimated to this Country that you feel more at home here or do you still feel like you’re missing home?

RINKU:  Home is always gonna be home no matter what. No matter how happy you are in other country but you always gonna miss home.  I’m pretty sure that it would be the same for you guys.  Doesn’t matter where you live.  You always miss your home.  Like for me, being here, I have to be happy.  I am happy to be here just cause of my dream is here.  My dream is here.  I got my mom and dad there and I go once in a year, go back to home, get my heart charged, get ready for another year or two, whatever it’s gonna come in front.  But talking about happy in America, yes.  But, like I said, home is always gonna be home.  And I always gonna miss home.  And I’ve been missing it so..

JB:  You’ve had the experience of both so now you’re back and lived here for awhile.  What do you think? (To Dinesh)
DINESH:  When I was here, I miss a lot of home.  But right now, I’m living in India with my family.  I’m happy.

bloggers with JB, Rinku, AND Dinesh

JB:  Do you miss America now that you’re back?

DINESH:  Yeah. (We all laugh.)

JB:  What do you miss?  Movies?  TV?

DINESH:  Everything.

JB:  Food.

DINESH:  Of course.  Pizza.

JB:  Of all the true parts, that is one of them!

Follow along socially:

Website and Mobile Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm
Follow us on Twitter: @DisneyPictures
MILLION DOLLAR ARM opens in theaters on May 16, 2014!

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: Disney, interview, Million dollar arm, movie

Pitching, Birthday, and Millions: The Million Dollar Arm Premiere at El Capitan #MillionDollarArmEvent

May 9, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

It’s almost like a Cinderella story, for my birthday this year I walked the red carpet, green carpet actually to the premiere of MILLION DOLLAR ARM at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, CA . I was with some of my best friends and it was a relaxed situation. The carpet was a jeans type event.

image The Premiere began with the Million Dollar pitching contest. Contestants took turns trying to pitch a 100 MPH. No one actually pitched 100 but it was still fun to watch as they tried.

Million Dollar Arm World Premier

Stars Jon Hamm, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton, Aasif Mandvi, Suraj Sharma, Madhur Mittal, and Pitobash were all in attendance. The premiere kicked off with a pitching contest where 9 Finalists competed for the chance to win a million dollars and a contract with Legendary Sports Agent J.B. Bernstein. All Finalists received a $500 gift package from Rawlings, a gift package from Under Armour and tickets to the ESPY Awards.

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The party this time was a tailgating party where the food and everything was before the movie. I sort of goreged on food. I had a Subway sandwich and a Pink’s hot dog and I ate it all. For dessert I had a bite of a Krispy Kreme donut because I knew that if I got one of my own I would have eaten the entire thing. After I ate my weeks worth of calories I decided I would take a try at pitching. I pitched two 30 MPH balls in a row and then after that it went sadly downhill. IMG_1576IMG_1578

Yep I’ve got a long way to go before I’m winning millions!

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Website and Mobile Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

Like Million Dollar Arm on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm and learn from Amit’s lessions

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Follow us on Twitter: @DisneyPictures

MILLION DOLLAR ARM opens in theaters on May 16, 2014 and in some theaters tomorrow night.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: Disney, El Capitan, Million dollar arm, movie, Movies, premier, premiere

May The Fourth Be With You #StarWarsRebelsEvent #ABCTVEvent #MillionDollarArmEvent

April 27, 2014 by Momstart 2 Comments

I’m super excited about May The Fourth this year because I’ll be in LA learning all about the new series Star Wars Rebels on Disney XD. My kids are super excited about Star Wars Rebels and we’re going to set the DVR to record it so we don’t miss a single episode.

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I’m also going to be visiting the set of Jimmy Kimmel.

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I will attend a live taping of JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! from a VIP room in the show’s theatre! Executive Producer Jill Leiderman will stop by before the show to chat and afterwards, Jimmy’s trusty security guard Guillermo Rodriguez will be your guide on a tour of the set! Plus, you will mix, mingle and chat with the creators/executive producers of a variety of ABC shows about their upcoming season finales & summer premieres AND visit the set of ABC’s sassy summer drama, MISTRESSES, where you will meet & greet with available cast members for interviews!

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And last but not least I will be attending the red carpet premiere of MILLION DOLLAR ARM (opening in theatres on 5/16).

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Sounds like it’s going to be full of entertainment.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: ABCTV, entertainment, May the Fourth, Million dollar arm, movie, star wars rebels, travel, trip

Do You Have A Million Dollar Arm? Disney’s 1 Million Pitching Contest

April 13, 2014 by Momstart 1 Comment

Do you have a million dollar arm? I know for a fact I don’t but I’m excited to see who does. Just about as excited as I am to see Disney’s Million Dollar Arm movie coming out on May 16th. Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy, Disney’s drama “Million Dollar Arm” stars Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. The producers are Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The executive producers are Palak Patel, Kevin Halloran, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell.

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Disney is giving amateur baseball pitchers in the nation a chance to compete for a $1 million prize in the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest. The Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest is being held to celebrate the opening of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm,” an incredible true story about two young men who went from never throwing a baseball to getting a Major League tryout.

Amateur baseball pitchers—male or female, who are legal United States residents at least 18 years of age or older—are invited to qualify to compete in the preliminary rounds of the Million Dollar Arm Pitching Contest at either Walt Disney World®Resort in Florida, Disneyland® Resort in California or at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day at the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. The three contestants from each location who throw the fastest pitches will advance to the finals and have a chance to compete for a $1 million prize at the world premiere of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm” in Hollywood, California. Official rules are available on Disney.com’s “Million Dollar Arm” homepage at http://disney.com/PitchingContest.MILLION DOLLAR ARM

Presented by SUBWAY® restaurants, the three qualifying events will take place on April 25 and 26, from 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at both Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, Calif. and ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World® and on April 26 only, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day during the Tribeca Family Festival in New York City. Contestants will throw three pitches, each tracked by a radar gun, in an attempt to throw the fastest pitch. All participants will receive tickets for themselves and a guest to see an advance screening of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm” at an AMC Theatres location later that evening.

Nine finalists chosen during these qualifying events will have a chance to compete for the $1 million prize at the world premiere of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm.” The top three eligible pitchers with the fastest pitches from each qualifying round location will be flown with his or her guest to the final contest, which will take place at the world premiere of Disney’s “Million Dollar Arm” in Hollywood, Calif., on May 6.  Each of these finalists will throw three pitches on Hollywood Boulevard. Any eligible finalist who throws one 100 mph strike (out of three pitches) will become a potential winner of the $1 million grand prize.

The nine finalists and their guests will be VIPs at the film’s premiere along with stars, filmmakers, major league players, coaches, scouts and celebrities.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Subject to Official Rules available at event or at http://disney.com/PitchingContest.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: contest, Disney, entertainment, Million dollar arm, sweeps

From The Producers of Invincible & Miracle: Million Dollar Arm Trailer #MillionDollarArm

December 28, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

MILLION DOLLAR ARM opens in theaters everywhere on May 16, 2014!

Million Dollar Arm looks like it’s going to be a great family movie. It reminds me of the movie Jerry Maguire as it starts off with a sports agent who loses everything and finds a new person to represent. Except this one the main character goes to another country to find The Million Dollar Arm. Check it out!

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In a last ditch effort to save his career as a sports agent, JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket pitcher he can turn into a Major League Baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of a cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout (Alan Arkin) he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18 year old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train. While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India — the boys, who have never left their rural villages — are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball — JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell) — learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

 

 

Like MILLION DOLLAR ARM on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MillionDollarArm

Website and Mobile Site: www.Disney.com/MillionDollarArm

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: Disney, Million dollar arm, movie, movie announcement

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