20.7.11

Wendi and Murdoch: A Love Ishtory


Wendi Deng does not like shaving cream and likes hubby Rupert Murdoch. Simple. Yet, there is this hyper reaction and all alluding to her Asian roots because she responded to some intruder who wanted to smack the News Corp chief kindly with foam at the hearings of the hacking scandal.


Reuters had this to say:
  • With a scorpion-like swipe at a protester, Wendi Deng became an unlikely hero on Tuesday in defense of her octogenarian husband Rupert Murdoch. 
  • She sprang from her seat behind her husband to smack the assailant, in a scene witnessed by millions around the world watching television coverage of the latest developments in the News of the World telephone hacking scandal. 
  • In doing so, Deng made the embattled News Corp chief look vulnerable, and herself strong. But the incident and her reaction also helped to take some of the heat off of Murdoch who had looked tired, disconnected and irritable earlier in the hearing. 
  • The 42-year-old third Mrs Murdoch, who came from middle-class China to marry one of the world's most powerful media moguls, gave a dramatic stand-by-your-man display.
This is sexist and racist. Other articles have gone on and on, including how ambitious she is and reacted before his son James could. Is this some competition? I think anyone with some alacrity would have jumped up. Why is she an "unlikely hero"? Is this some patriarchal nonsense where the son has to be the first to defend?


There is one theory that this was planned by the Murdochs and Jonathan May-Bowles, who for some reason calls himself Jonnie Marbles (because he lost them?), had warned about the 'splat' before. Weird. I found his chant quite telling. "You naughty billionaire," is all he could come up with.


Besides, are people stupid to be taken in by such Murdochian 'vulnerability'? 


I am surprised to read these tidbits, though:
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted, "I'm awed by Wendi Murdoch taking down Rupert's attacker," and former CBS news anchor Katie Couric tweeted that Deng gave a "whole new meaning to the term tiger mother."
Why can it not be panda mother or beach whale mother? 


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Anyhow, I think it makes for a really nice Bollywood film sequence where the tables are turned and the man’s honour is at stake.

Wendi to assailant: “Kuttey, kameeney, teri yeh himmat!” (Dog, you have the gall)

Rupert turns to notice the fracas and that his head has just been spared. He becomes emotional and with arm around Wendi addresses the pie man: “Eik chutki sindoor ki keemat tum kya jaano, Jonnie babu?” (How would you know the value of a little sindoor – the red mark in the parting of a woman’s hair to indicate her marital status)

Wendi: “Roop, tumhara sar aankhon par.” (sar aankon par is a phrase that indicates your wish is my command, but here it is literally his head – ‘sar’ – that was attacked)

Rupert: “Teri aankhon ke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai…Tumne meri izzat bachayi, meri raksha ki, tum mere aaka ho.” (Nothing in this world matters besides your eyes…you have saved my honour, protected me, you are my lord and master)

Wendi rests her head on his chest: “Dil cheez kya hai…” (What is this heart…)

Rupert: Camembert…

Wendi: Nahin Brie…

James watches confounded and chases the attacker with the plea: “What is your style number, what is mobile number.”

Nicholas Kristof enters with a sword in hand that he hands over to Wendi: "Khoob ladee mardani woh tau Jhansi Waali Rani.” (She fought valiantly, this Rani of Jhansi – the historical warrior queen)

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[The Hindi is mostly parts of film songs and dialogues]

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