When Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie) wails in agony after learning that her kidnapped journalist husband Daniel Pearl will never come back, it’s one of the defining and poignant moments of this fine movie.

So far, over the previous several days the visibly pregnant Mariane’s been an unusually controlled woman despite her anguish over Danny’s kidnapping.

But when Daniel Pearl’s boss returns home one night after viewing the tape of her husband’s beheading and tells Mariane that “Danny did not make it”, the controlled emotion transforms into helpless waves of anguish, sweeping the audience along on that tide.

Playing Mariane Pearl, wife of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl kidnapped and murdered by Islamic radicals in Karachi when on an assignment in 2002, Angelina Jolie turns in a powerful performance in A Mighty Heart that should be an eyeopener to Bollywood actresses most of whom can’t act even to save their lives.

For those worried that Angelina Jolie, the celebrity and the actress would overshadow the character of Mariane Pearl, rest easy because that has not happened.

The movie proceeds at a fairly brisk pace that keeps the audience engrossed at all times. 

Indian actor Irrfan Khan, who delighted us in Mira Nair’s recent movie The Namesake, charms us once again with a solid performance as the Pakistan Police Captain Habib investigating Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping.

Irrfan Khan’s sparkling performance in Namesake and now in A Mighty Heart reveal his prowess as Continue Reading…

French food giant Groupe Danone will soon part ways with its Indian partner Britannia and launch products on its own in the booming Indian market, reports today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Apparently, there has been tensions between the two companies over Danone’s plans to enter the market on its own.

By the terms of a 1995 contract, Danone had agreed not to launch food brands in India without the approval of the Wadia family, which owns 24.5% of the company. Nusli Wadia (grandson of Pakistan founder M.A.Jinnah) is Chairman of Britannia.

Danone owns 25.5% of Britannia, which is one of India’s biggest brands and the maker of a variety of biscuits (cookies).

According to the WSJ story,

Danone and the Wadias are in talks that could lead to an exit by Danone from the venture, according to people familiar with the situation. One of those people says an agreement could be reached within a month. A possibility is that Danone will pay the Wadias a fee to leave the venture.

Danone’s tensions with Britannia comes close on the heels of recent reports suggesting that all’s not well with its Chinese drinks joint venture Wahaha.

With its economy growing at well over 8% for the last few years, India is one of the promising emerging markets for consumer products companies worldwide.