Anupam Sharma's "unIndian" - Australian film with an Indian heart!
A film that is probably going to be known as the one that started the Indian-Aussies' foray in Australian cinema... one has not seen the coming together of Indians and Australians on silverscreen in a bigger way that Unindian showcases. This is where the ICN (Indian Community Network) gets activated and its powerful presence all across Australia is mentioned in a very tongue-in-cheek manner.
Anupam Sharma's directorial debut Unindian is a romantic comedy that stars renowned Indian Actress Tannishtha Chatterjee from Brick Lane, Shadows of Time and Bhopal: Prayer for Rain, and former Australian cricketer Brett Lee, who also makes his debut with this crossover film.
Tannishtha’s character in the film called Meera is an Australian of Indian Origin, a single mother and an independent woman who after meeting a charming young Will (played by Brett Lee), faces the dilemma of whether to follow her heart or settle for a sensible arranged marriage and fulfill her parents’ (Supriya Pathak and Aakash Khurana) wishes.
The film brings out a lot of cross cultural issues, interracial relationships, problems faced by migrants, institution of arranged marriage. Anupam Sharma as first time Director shows promise and deals with all these issues sensitively. He does make a point, though some of the things looks a bit hurried... but does not hinder the story of the film in any way.
Yes, the film is entertaining, has a charm of its own and has many funny moments. Brett Lee does wonderfully well in his debut, his acting is very understated, which suits the role perfectly well... probably the best acting by a cricketer turned actor that I have seen... I am sure people will love Brett as Will. Arka Das as TK is a great find, he provides most of the laughs in the film and has a perfect comic timing. Gulshan Grover and Pallavi Sharda's talent is somehow under utilised. Nicholas Brown plays his part of the pompous Indian cardiologist fairly well.
Overall, UnIndian in some ways is an acknowledgement of the Indian diaspora's contribution to the Australian society... and how they are becoming an integral part of the Australian culture.
The film is distributed Australia wide by the ace Indian-Australian film distributor Vikas Paul's company Friend's India Entertaainment. Don't forget to catch the film in a theatre near you... UnIndian releases on 15th October!
Pics from the premiere of UnIndian in Melbourne (click on pics for slide show):
