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This picture is from June of 2007, the summer before
I turned 30 and saw my life change quite dramatically.
I was working at a job I loved, and it was a job that loved me back. That's Rian, Connor, and Eduardo, with little Jack on my lap. (And then some rando stranger kid who kept barking at the marine life. It was so uncomfortable.) My hands gripping the fence in view of the camera is a textbook example of how to hold children who are not your own. It is used in Social Work textbooks everywhere.
In college, my frat bros played sports.
I was lured in by a HS buddy on the
volleyball team, and the first guy I met
is now Tom Brady's agent. Forgive me. Another kid had me carry his b-ball bag around while pledging, so people would encroach upon my personal space, only
to be disappointed with their findings.
By contrast, another peer had me wear anything with "Smithtown" emblazoned
on it, figuring people from Long Island
would stop me on the street to chit-chat. From there, connections would develop and blossom. Now, I didn't need the help,
but 9/10 recommend. The 90s were wild.
The manuscript I wrote at age five was about an Indian-American boy from Long Island. The current manuscript is about an Indian-American man from Queens. In terms of spirit and joyfulness, I haven't strayed far from the kid I was in 1983. So with considerable editing and dogged revisions, I expect to have something well-crafted and heart-warming to put forth in the world.
If you need my writing help, or would like to help with the draft, do reach out. It may take several days to respond, but I'm here.
Also, the button-down should be white, and the V-neck is absurd. Thankfully, I'm cuter now, and able to dress myself in kind.
UPDATE: I finished the manuscript (for now).
UPDATE 2: I finalized a screenplay. Some smart folks in Hollywood liked the story back in 2015, and the Uppercut title as well.
That said, I don't know whether to go with Uppercut or Shiva the Destroyer. Both have their merits. I prefer Uppercut.
As expected, the manuscript is better than the screenplay, for all the obvious reasons. The book is better than the script.
UPDATE 3: I submitted the script to The Black List under a pseudonym. Here are some of their thoughts.
Strengths:
This is a boxing movie unlike any we’ve seen. It's packed with laughs and heart, and has broad appeal and a modern feel. It evades the overly-earnest machismo of traditional movies about fighters. It refuses to treat women as prizes or victims of male aggression. It also refuses to turn its Hindu protagonist into an over-Americanized rebel against his family’s culture. It’s funny at many points throughout. Welterweight Shiva fights with his heart, his wisdom, and his keen sense of humor in real life just as hard as he fights physically in the ring. He’s Indian-American. His widower father, precocious younger sister, and lawyer older sister duck all the stereotypes. Characters are extraordinarily well-voiced and as diverse as the true population of the well-evoked setting. Even their longer speeches are engaging and readable. The action is clear and cinematic without being “voicey”. It seems impossible that Shiva could win until shortly before the last-minute climax, which is delivered as a memorable high-stakes nail-biter. The denouement will leave audiences smiling through tears.
Prospects:
SHIVA THE DESTROYER is the kind of cinematic, subtle, powerful film that breaks marketing departments because it's so many things. Audiences ranging from art movie fans who hate sports movies to action addicts of all genders who roll their eyes at indie dramas and comedies will enjoy it equally and it's a strong candidate for theatrical stardom. It’s hard to compare it to existing boxing movies because it knocks them all out cold. However, it has the groundbreaking underdog-hero power of the original ROCKY or MILLION DOLLAR BABY mixed with the multi-cultural authenticity of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM or the teen series NEVER HAVE I EVER (more for the comedy than the cultural setting). While the street and crowd scenes and action make it a medium-budget rather than a low-budget project, the potential audience reach makes it viable. The brilliantly-written supporting parts could attract A-list talent, while the role of Shiva is the perfect breakout role for an up-and-coming Indian star. The writer is gifted; a new star.
That was certainly nice to read. Again, however, the manuscript is better than the screenplay. The book is better than the script.
I turned 40 at the end of 2017, and on my 35th birthday in 2012, I heard that an actor was interested in directing my breakthrough script.
As stated in the "About" section, I knew he wanted to star in the project, but his directing interest came as a surprise to me. Looking back, I should've done more to reclaim the script over the past several years. Between New York and Long Island, I live in one of the wealthiest, most densely-populated areas in the world, though I've never taken advantage of it. And that's what brings me to the tiny animals above.
I came across them in an art supply store, and given the soft rubber and hand-painted detail, they look far more impressive in your hands than they do in this picture. (And they look adorable in the picture.) Over the past few years, I've given a lot of these away, and it's hard to explain just how much happiness they bring people. They're simple toys, of course, but whether you're talking about the small child who's seen everything or the billionaire who has everything, there's nothing you can buy for a dollar that makes people smile like these little guys.
This is ridiculous on its face, but if I hit up New York and Long Island with the goal of selling a million of them, three things could happen:
One, I could reacquire my script from Lantern Capital. Two, I could finance a newer project. Three, if all else fails, I could rest in the knowledge that I did everything I could to avoid letting my script die in Harvey Weinstein's hands. Faced with those options, I did the sensible thing, and bought a ton of the animals wholesale. Now I can sell them for a buck, and really, I can get out of the house more often.
Bill Clinton's birth father was a door-to-door salesman. He died three months before his son was born. I've always been fascinated by that, as he clearly passed down a stunning intellect (which was probably fundamental to his own work). When I thought about trying to literally sell something -- since I could also meet potential investors for future projects -- my first idea was to sell high-end tobacco cards. Granted, the market for sports memorabilia is limited, even if the margins are high. With the tiny animals, however, the margins are low, but the market is seemingly endless. At my age, I may or may not go door-to-door and sell toys, but I'll find all sorts of competent people who will. As I said, it's ridiculous on its face and simply absurd, but I think I can sell a million little animals faster than my Shoeless Joe rookie card.
I ordered thousands of the tiny animals above. In selling them individually, they're moving like hotcakes. If you'd like to buy some, send me an e-mail, and you can PayPal me $10, $20, and so on. I plan to buy additional animals as soon as possible, but let's see how things go. Frankly, I have no illusions about selling a million toys, but I can sell 100,000, finance an art project, then save some cash for what's next. Judging by the overwhelming response I've received in selling these on a grassroots level -- via simple flyers -- I couldn't be more pleased.
Here are the animals you can choose from. I'd add a shopping cart, but much like my script notes service, I don't want to be presumptuous.
1) Moose
2) Kangaroo
3) T-Rex
4) Holstein cow
5) Giraffe
6) Alligator
7) Zebra
8) Elephant
9) Polar bear
10) Penguin
11) Killer whale
12) Lion
13) Tiger
14) Golden retriever
15) Great white shark
16) Rhino
17) Gorilla
18) Panda
19) Koala bear
20) Octopus
21) Bison
22) Manatee
23) Pony
24) Blue whale
25) Donkey
26) Sea lion
27) Brontosaurus
28) Stegosaurus
29) Brachiosaurus
30) Frog
31) Beluga whale
32) Clown fish
33) Dolphin
34) Dachshund
35) Sea turtle hatchling
36) Black bear
37) Okapi
38) Pufferfish
39) Meerkat
40) Seahorse
41) Woolly mammoth
