Mahanth is Editor

“I remember falling in love, nearly immediately, with Mumbai.” – Jeff Goldberg

If you care about the future prospects for deepening US-India relations, skip the headlines about diplomatic back and forth between government officials. It’s more worthwhile to get closer to the ground and watch video content about the various types of people-to-people contact between Americans and Indians in Track II. In particular usindiamonitor is fascinated by the back stories and observations of Americans who dropped everything and moved to India, the exact reverse of the Westward-bound adventure my parents and millions of other Indian emigrants embarked on. In fact usindiamonitor‘s first-ever interview in the very first month of existence took place on Juhu Beach with NYC-born American Bollywood actor Prashantt Guptha. The expat-lifestyle exploring Max Chernov channel on YouTube has good on-camera interviews with this unique cast of nomadic characters, including Jeff Goldberg (not to be confused with the Editor-in-Chief of the Atlantic mag). Jeff is a thoughtful white dude (unlike the brown Prashantt headed back to his roots) and another New Yorker who eased into Mumbai life and the Bollywood industry for over 10 years. This seems to be going well. He opened a studio in Bandra and even participated in a bizarrely unique brand of people-to-people contact perhaps no other Yankee can brag about: punching the ultra-mega-uber-superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the face on the Pathaan film set (elaborately choreographed; rest assured no human animals were hurt in the course of shooting this famous scene).

Mumbai is becoming the closest sister city to the Big Apple on the subcontinent. Both being massive, dynamic, vibrant, hectic and intimidating at first but welcoming upon gradually building familiarity. There is a softer, kinder side to both cities that emerges after a little time. Just like NYC, one of my favorite activities in Mumbai is to wander aimlessly through a new neighborhood, get lost and ask strangers for directions, which helpfully would be furnished without fail. For those with robust digestive organs, the street food there simply will not be beat by anywhere. In this video we learn why Jeff likes the Indian lifestyle and gets along with Mumbaikars. I’m a fan of Westerners digging into Bollywood and contributing to the scene, because it needs new and diverse ideas to adapt in a fast-changing world while still staying true to its heritage and identity. Jeff’s musings about A-list Bollywood actors, cinema, India and also the United States are worth listening to. Max is also a smooth interviewer, see for yourself.