Of
the four girls, Mini seems to be having the hardest time figuring
out where she fits in. Having left school, she spends most of
her time with her boyfriend, David, in the warehouse loft where
he crafts jewelry. They quarrel as David helps Mini practice
her pageant song, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina". Mini
didn't come to the US until she was eleven, but she watched
American sitcoms and always wished her family could be as "cute
and perfect" as the families on TV. She loves America because
"everybody has a chance to become famous here."
Mini's
mother tells how embarrassed Mini used to get when she would
speak Telugu to her at the Mall: "Please, Mommy, it attracts
a lot of attention". Mini's father is a Brahmin ("That's
the Hinduest you can possibly get") and served on the
medical school faculty at an Indian university. In the US,
he hasn't been able to find work. Her mother is worried about
the life Mini leads and they fight a lot. Shortly before the
pageant, Mini puts her hand through a window when her Mom
confiscates her car keys. During the Q&A at the pageant,
Mini says the person she admires most in the world is her
Mother. Backstage, her Mother lights up with pride, but Mini
tells her she was just kidding.
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