Film Synopses

Anita and Me 

Anita and Me follows Meena, an adolescent of Indian descent, who lives in England. Meena’s parents have moved to England to provide her with a better life. Meena lives in a mining village that is comprised of mostly white citizens. It is here that Meena meets a white girl, a few years older, Anita, and begins to idolize her. Meena often struggles to fit in with Anita and her friends as her Indian heritage is often present. Meena’s struggle is deepened when Anita’s boyfriend proves to hold racist attitudes towards people with dark skin.

Turner, M. (2002). Anita & Me. View London. Retrieved from http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/anita–me-film-review-3523.html

East is East 

Movie reviewer Antonio Romero appropriately introduces the film East is East with the following statement, “Cinematic alchemy – there’s no other word to capture the achievement of East is East, in which writer Ayub Khan-Din turns the pain of his immigrant upbringing into comic and dramatic gold,” (2000).

East is East follows Pakistani immigrant Jahangir Kahn who immigrates to Britain where he meets and falls in love with a white woman, Ella. After marriage the two have six children and Jahangir would like them all to follow Islamic tradition. Jahangir forces his children to take part in religious prayers and traditions. The eldest son, Nadir, becomes aware that his father is going to arrange his marriage and decides to runaway. Jahangir begins to go by George and disowns his son. George disowns Nadir after he finds out that he is gay and that he is living with another man. The other children have romantic engagements and are unaware of their fathers intention to marry off two of his sons to Pakistani women. The family prepares to meet the girls and are initially shocked. When the mother of the women goes as far to suggest that the sons move into her house chaos erupts. Will the sons move in? Attend the screening Sunday morning to find out and discover what Romero describes as “genuinely smart, hilarious, and touching, and one of the must-see films of this year,” (2000).

Romero, A. (2000). East is East. CultureKiosque Cinema Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.culturekiosque.com/nouveau/cinema/rheeastb.html

Fire 

Fire is a eminent film as it is one of the first mainstream films in India featuring homosexual relationships. Fire follows Sita, a young women married to Jatin. In a traditional joint family the two live with Jatin’s family. Sita faces many hardships in her arranged marriage when she learns Jatin’s intention for marrying her and that he is still dating his Chinese girlfriend. Because Sita’s parents arranged the marriage she does not condemn him so that she pays respect to her parents. Ashok and his wife Radha live with Jatin and Sita and it eventually surfaces that Radha faces problems similar to those of Sita. When both of the women are shunned by their husbands they seek comfort in each other and become lovers. After their initial encounter the women acknowledge that they are both content and agree to carry on relations in private. Upon discovering their true love for each other the two begin to search for ways to move out so that they can be on their own. When a servant becomes aware of the relationship he has Ashok walk in on the women. To see how this dramatic film concludes be sure to attend the showing!

Chase, A. (1997). Fire. Shoestring Radio Theater. Retrieved from  http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/fire96.html

My Beautiful Laundrette 

Roger Ebert, a Chicago-Sun Times movie critic, acknowledges that My Beautiful Laundrette is not a movie concerned with developing a plot but is instead concerned with providing background information on the society in which the characters live. Ebert discusses way the film reflects reality by incorporating the issue of sexuality, “Modern Britain is a study in contrasts, between rich and poor, between upper and lower classes, between native British and the various immigrant groups — some of which, such as the Pakistanis, have started to prosper. To this mixture, the movie adds the conflict between straight and gay.”

My Beautiful Laundrette  explores the issues of homosexuality and racism by featuring unique relationships between Whites and Asians. Omar, the main character, lives in London with his Pakistani, journalist father that becomes an alcoholic. While his father is troubled his uncle, Nasser, is successful and eventually gives Omar the job of fixing up run-down laundrette. When Omar is with other Pakistani’s that he has met through Nasser he is attacked by extremists that are racist. Omar notices one of the attackers is his late friend Johnny and recruits him to help with the laundrette. Upon joining Omar in the business venture a resumed romantic relationship between the two is evident. Be sure to attend the screening Saturday to see what comes of the romantic relationship between the men.

Ebert, Robert. “My Beautiful Laundrette.” Chicago Sun-Times 11 April 1986: Print.

Mississippi Masala

Based on the screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala, Mississippi Masala captures the interracial romance between African Americans and Indian Americans in the rural U.S.  After the success of director and producer Mira Nair’s first feature film, Salaam Bombay!, Nair was approached by many independent financiers and international studios including Hollywood.  At this time, she was able to begin her work on Mississippi Masala.

Nair says, “I had been drawn to the idea of making a film that dealt in some way with the hierarchy of color, a film about an interracial love story…When we think of race relations or racism we hardly ever think of the hierarchy of color that is between, say, black and brown.”

The plot traces a 24-year-old Ugandan Indian woman, Mina, who moved to Mississippi with her parents.  She quickly falls in love with a local African American which results in family turmoil and division surrounding their relationship.  Mina is forced to choose between family and love and embark on the shaping of her future.

In an interview with Nair, Tej Hazarika delves into the film’s setting and its impact on the movie.

Hazarika: Why Greenwood, Mississippi? And what was it like there?

Nair: I liked Greenwood because visually it is very evocative. The scale of the town was right for the story, plus the number of Indian-owned businesses there. In fact, most motels in the South are Indian-owned. It was big news there, of course; they hadn’t had a movie shot there since the 1960s. One of the powerful things about it is that it is a visually segregated town — a river separates white and black. The white neighborhood has wide boulevards and is fairly manicured; the black neighborhood within the same mile are made up of dirt roads and shanties. To me, the black neighborhood was like being home — like being in Bombay. So much life in the streets, and it was so community-oriented. I just felt at home.

Nair, Mira. “Mississippi Masala.” Black Film Review 1993: 20. Print.

Bend it Like Beckham

Written, directed, and produced by Gurinder Chadha, Bend It Like Beckham is a comedic drama starring Keira Knightley and British-Indian actress Parminder Nagra.  Chadha was born in Nairobi and took part in the Indian diaspora when her family moved to West London when she was two.  The film was first released in the United Kingdom and follows the rebellion of 18-year-old Jess against her Indian parents and their grave disapproval of her desire to play soccer.

While incorporating incorporates humor and love in its plot, Bend It Like Beckham also successfully displays the deep influence Asian diaspora has had on British culture.  The film portrays present day transcultural relations through Jess’s combination of Indian and British qualities.  “Jess is, from the very beginning of the film, situated in-between the two camps: on one hand, she loves her parents and does not want to disappoint them…to please them she wears traditional dresses and serves guests when required…On the other hand, she cannot accept the future role her parents have reserved for her, which implies studying to become a solicitor but then ultimately marrying an Indian man to fulfill the traditional role of a housewife, for which purpose she has to learn how to cook Punjabi food.”

Jess’s search for an alternative life in which she can build her own future but continue to stay connected with her family frames an entertaining insight into the life of a diasporic Asian adolescent.

Rings, G. (2011). Questions of Identity: Cultural Encounters in Gurinder Chadha’s Bend It Like Beckham. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 39(3), 114-123.

Slumdog Millionaire

Set and filmed in India, Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of Jamal, an eighteen-year-old from the slums of Mumbai.  Jamal becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and is a question away from the grand prize before he is taken away and interrogated for suspicion of cheating.  In proving his innocence, Jamal paints his life story, critically defining the lost love of his life, Latika.  His detailed life story exposes the knowledge that lead him to each answer on the show.

The film won eight out of the ten Academy Award nominations, Five Critics’ Choice Awards, and four Golden Globes.

Bride & Prejudice

The film is a present-day Bollywood adaption of Jane Austen’s original novel, Pride and Prejudice and tells the story of a family and the daughters that are seeking to define their life through marriage. The production is characterized as a musical and frequently incorporates this essential trait of Bollywood cinema. Aishwarya Rai lights up the screen as she plays the role of the oldest daughter. Her beauty and comedic qualities bring energy and appeal to the film.

American performer Ashanti had a cameo appearance in the film singing, “My Lips are Waiting,” and, “Touch My Body.” Her appearance in the film was meant as homage to a tradition in Bollywood films where a celebrity makes a cameo appearance to sing a song that has no direct involvement in the plot.

Noh, D. (2005, January). Bride & Prejudice. Film Journal International, 39-40.