Movie :

A young, gay South African Indian flees to Hollywood, away from an overprotective mother and memories of his father's violent death. A successful banker by day, Ali’s nightlife unravels in a blur of alcohol, drugs, and sex as he grapples with love, loss and ultimately, forgiveness. The film is based on actual events and the acclaimed novel by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, “The Ode to Lata.” This film is a unique look at sexuality from an independent Hollywood perspective, and it is a no-holds-barred look at the despair and hope that is part of a young gay man’s life.

Accompanying Director :

GHALIB SHIRAZ DHALLA
Los Angeles-based writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Mombasa, Kenya. At 13 years old, the aspiring young novelist published his first article on infertility in a national magazine VIVA. Since then he's written for various publications including Instinct, Genre, Angeleno, Detour and Details and is the Editor of the upscale lifestyle E-zine, IndulgeMagazine.com
An excerpt from Ode to Lata was featured in the award-winning anthology Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America (Rutgers), which went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The Los Angeles Times Book Review hailed Dhalla's debut as "an achievement" (Sunday, March 24th, 2002) and Christopher Rice called it "a rare, great novel" (book jacket). Ode to Lata created milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by The Los Angeles Times Book Review and to be excerpted by Genre Magazine. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent. The cultural and academic impact of Dhalla's debut novel was further recognized when it was presented at the Between The Lines Festival at MIT (Boston) in 2004, and added to college syllabuses around the country.
Ode to Lata was adapted for the motion picture, The Ode starring Sachin Bhatt, Wilson Cruz, and Sakina Jaffrey. Dhalla wrote the screenplay and is the Associate Producer for the film. The Ode premiered at the Oufest Film Festival on July 17th, 2008 to a sold-out audience. It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer, July 18th, 2008) and a film with performances that are "memorable" and filled with "cinematic intensity" (Planet Homo, July 19th, 2008). The UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation" and boasting performances that are "noteworthy" (Asia Pacific Arts, August 8th, 2008).
Dhalla's follow-up novel, The Two Krishnas (Alyson Books, February 2010) draws from romantic Sufi poetry and archetypal Hindu mythology. It paints a picture of infidelity and political upheaval across three continents; exploring how, with a new world come new freedoms, and with them, the choices that could change everything we know about those we thought we knew -- including ourselves. The Two Krishnas has already garnered advance praise.  Bapsi Sidhwa (Cracking India, Water) praises it as "a touching and masterfully written novel", Christopher Rice (Blind Fall, A Density of Souls) calls it a novel "of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision...a classic tale of tragic, forbidden love" and Chitra Divakaruni says it's "a novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty...complex and heart-wrenching."
East Indian in heritage and a passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for AIDS intervention for the Asian Pacific Aids Intervention Team (APAIT) in Los Angeles and SATRANG, a support group for LGBT South Asians in Los Angeles.
In June 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the Top 21 Tastemakers and "Most Important Movers and Shakers" in America by Genre Magazine. In August 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the "Top 25 People Who Make Us Melt - Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot" by Frontiers Magazine. In March 2008, Dhalla was included in Anokhi Magazine's "Sexy & Successful 2008" roster.
Dhalla joined the prestigious Humanitas Prize organization in 2009 as a Reader for excellence in TV and Film scripts for the 35th Humanitas Prize.
Some of Dhalla's influences are Dorothy Parker, Andrew Holleran, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and the poetry of Rumi.