Just read an article on The News about a new trend in movies about desis living in UK or US.
Anyone seen any or all of them? Anyone have any favorites? Any comments about any of them? :). Anyone felt offended by them? 
**Confused Desis **
The summer of 2000 saw a start of a new trend of films. Films about desis (Indians and Pakistanis), who have settled in the UK or the United States have suddenly become the box office delight. One generation moved there looking a better life, a more prosperous future and thinking that one day, when they would have accomplished or achieved what they set out for, they would return to their homeland, but in this deal they did not bargain for the next generation who merely look Asian â and that is where their connection with the subcontinent ends.
Having been brought up in the West, you cannot somehow blame the new generation for being confused and not knowing exactly where they belong. With little or no first hand exposure, they canât understand the ethnic culture, the traditions, that their parents go on about and expect them to follow. When they get out into the real world, the world they were born in and went to school in, their skin colour imposes identity questions them. Who are they? Where do they belong? Is their place back in a land for which they have no sentiment, no value? Or is their place in the West where they have grown up?
There is a conflict in the way of thinking between the two generations at every step. And this is what these new films are based on. The conflicts, the attitudes, the different way of understanding, reacting and thinking.
These films have a small scale budget, they donât spend much money on production, the sets or costumes or any sort of special effects. What makes them popular and interesting is that it gives the western world, a break from the typical sci-fci or any other chick flick. And besides because there is an element of east to the films, they provide the right dosage of colour, eastern culture and most important, they give one a break from the stereo typical categories of films. Most of these film cast would have one known actor, and the rest of the cast would be unknown. For e.g. Om Puri in East is East, Naseeruddin Shah in Monsoon Wedding, Anupum Kher in Bend it like Beckham.
East is East is about George Khan (Om Puri), proud Pakistani and chip shop owner. The story revolves around him, his wife and the seven children. For them, life is one long compromise. Starting from the daughter tomboy Meenah who prefers playing football to wearing a sari, hippie Saleem pretending to be studying engineering when heâs really at art school, heart-throb Tariq who has a reputation as a local Casanova, and Sajid who hasnât even been circumcised yet. For George Khan (âGhengisâ to his kids), life is an uphill battle to get his family to conform to traditional Pakistani values. But this is a small typical English suburban town in the 1970s. Georgeâs English wife Ella is Lancashire born, and she has to come to terms with the fact that their kids have got minds of their own. East is East is the often hilarious and sometimes painful story of what happens when two cultures collide within one family. In the Khanâs cramped terraced house with its scant indoor plumbing, anarchy erupts on a daily basis. When the Khan kids begin to oppose their fatherâs petty tyrannies, Ella is forced to make a choice between her love for her husband and the right of her children to make their own way in the world.
âAmerican desiâ is about Deep Katdare, a culturally confused Indian-American college freshman. He knows nothing about naan, canât get a grip on the Garba and his peers refer to him as an ABCD (American Born Confused Desi). Deep Katdare falls in love with the sweet Purva Bedi and soon learns itâs okay to be proud of his heritage, with the help of his comical Indian roommates who, unlike him, are aware of their culture and provide a deep contrast to the character of Katdare. At times the movie plays out like a silly sitcom, but with the realistic and witty writing lightly poking fun at tradition (not to mention plenty of musical montages and dancing that fall in line with typical hindi films), American desi is somewhat a typical romantic comedy.
Director Gurinder Chadhaâs movie Bend it like Beckham is about a girl who is inspired by this footballerâs (David Beckham) moves on the field. The movie tackles a few interesting topics in this film, including gender issues, cross-cultural differences and matters of the heart. The main tagline of the movie being âWho wants to cook aloo gobhi when you can bend the ball like Beckham?â Jasbinder, Jess for short, (Parminder Nagra), an 18-year-old Indian girlâs dreams of playing football are squashed when her conservative parents (Anupum Kher and Shaheen Khan) make it clear that they donât want a daughter who âshows off her legs to the world and cannot make a round chapatiâ. She sneaks around behind the parents back and joins the local football team. The football scenes put together are well executed and look professional. The wedding scenes and the background score have been given the Bollywood touch to maintain a desi feel. A fun and entertaining film overall. The film does touch upon serious issues but without getting too deep (or frivolous), and still manages to bring out the humorous and lighthearted angle.
Mitr is the story of a dedicated wife and mother who, after getting terribly frustrated with her life as a housewife and a doting mother, finds a new perspective to life in an online friend by the name of âMitrâ. Lakshmiâs (Shobhana) world revolves around her husband and daughter alone who she looks after with tremendous dedication. Unfortunately, cultural differences and a generation gap sets in between Lakshmi and her daughter as the latter grows up. When Lakshmi realizes that she has been taken for granted by her husband and her daughter for a long time, she happens to make an online friend by the name of âMitrâ who understands her, shares her joys and sorrows. Eventually her online friend turns out to be none other than her very own husband, the daughter changes her rebellious ways and they live happily ever after. Director Revathy Menon has done a pretty good job and her work is indeed impressive. The characters are simple and straightforward. The main storlyline of this film is basically of a typical housewife, who after she realizes that she has spent all her life looking after others, ventures out into the real world to discover life beyond her homefront.
Overall, the movie is a cute one but will appeal mostly to women alone.
Various other films like Bollywood Calling, Misissipi Masala, Mystical Masseuse and a few others preach the same message of cross-cultural issues and the differences in the way of thinking between the two different generations. BBCâs programme **âGoodness gracious meâ]/b] is an Asian show poking fun at British and Asian stereotypes. This programme was purely comic but tended to offend the BBCDs (british born confused desis) and therefor went off air after a short while.
Most of these films are not completely offhand and unrealistic. There are people like the characters based in these movies. But the case is not only of those who go to the west and forget their roots, sometimes the situation is quite different or rather the complete opposite. E.g. Ayla, a doctor, who recently moved to Pakistan with her family after living all her life in America claims that ABCDness is not much of an issue there but it is more of a problem when one is in Pakistan. She feels that her parents never had a problem with her wearing a certain sort of clothes, going out at all hours or even getting married, but since they have moved back to Pakistan all these issues pose as a problem between her parents and her.
She does not blame her parents for this, but she blames the society that we live in and are a part of. Tahira, has lived in Canada for the last six years. Over this period of time, she has become more religious and a bit of a religious fanatic. Ayaz, has lived abroad all his life. He does not visit Pakistan that often and comes for a visit perhaps once every 3 years. Yet he dreams of the day when he can come to Pakistan and settle down here for good. Some people want to get away from their roots their culture, while others go on a completely different extreme where once they are abroad they realize the significance of their roots and tend to cling on to all the customs, traditions and values. The question however, remains that which one of us is better off? And how long will it be before these confused desis realize where they belong and stop being so confused after all.