Rediff India Abroad By Arthur J Pais

The script called for a shot of the exterior of the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi but writer, actor and filmmaker Albert Brooks, who says he had received ‘unprecedented access to mosques, temples and monuments,’ quickly discovered that his list did not include the embassy.

Brooks’s film, now known as Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World, did not even have a title during the shoot. Or, if it did, hardly anyone knew of it. For one thing, he was afraid the title would create controversies. The film, which also stars America-raised Sheetal Sheth, revolves around a comedian (Brooks) who has to spend a month in India and Pakistan, write a 500 page report, and tell Washington what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh. But he finds people aren’t opening up. He is also surprised to discover there are no comedy clubs in India or Pakistan. So, he decides to put on the first comedy concert in New Delhi. His problems continue. Continue reading →

Townhall.com By John Stossel

Sony Pictures got upset about a “bad” word. They demanded it be taken out of the title of a movie. The word is “Muslim.”

Give me a break. Do we have to be that sensitive? Or fearful?

The movie is “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.” The writer and star of the movie, Albert Brooks, says he made the movie because he was concerned that, in the wake of 9/11, Americans hated even the word “Muslim.” “A part of me always thought,” Brooks said, “what are there, a billion-and-a-half Muslim people on this planet, and I never thought that all of them wanted us dead.”
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