Brie Larson is a big name after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for ‘Room’ in 2015. She would also be headlining the untitled blockbuster Avengers movie as Captain Marvel. Therefore movie enthusiasts naturally expect her to be associated with mature and quality productions.
Like most actors who have done projects that they might have wished they have never shown their face on screen on, Larson too might have had a few regrets. One of the movie skeletons in her closet is ‘Basmati Blues’. The film comes onto the screen nearly four years from when it was made.
The movie is a traditional Ron-com of a relationship which builds up between a westerner and an Indian. A brilliant scientist named Linda is sent away from her company lab to sell genetically modified rice to the native farmers. She manages to win them over by her cheerful manners and carefree nature but she too is unaware that the seeds she sells will destroy them.
Enter Rajit, a handsome and young farmer who has a mind of his own. He is attracted to Linda immediately and their chemistry is so obliviously evident for all to see. Then follows a string of stereotyped events in which Linda bonds with the natives and learns about their culture. After the ploy to trick the farmers have been revealed Linda and Rajit turn saviours and join hands to save their crop. The movie ends with a big fat Indian wedding.
With every scene he has shot portraying the scenes in India, director Dan Baron seems to display his ignorance towards the rich culture and traditions which have prevailed throughout the years in India. It is no surprise that the project has won the fury of the Indian audience. It is so cliché and portrays the stereotyped picture that the Western aristocrats embody about India.
A few good points to note about the movie is the light humour which runs in certain scenes. The songs included in the movie too are catchy and infectious. At its heart, this film is about two people who reach across cultures, fight against corporate greed, and find love. Other sub themes in the film explored our responsibility for our actions and for each other, and attempts to do it in a disarming way, using music, comedy and romance.
Though this must have been the intention behind the project, the big picture that the filmmakers paint does not go down well with the audience – especially if they happen to be Indians or Asians.
I have no doubt the filmmakers had the best possible intentions with this film. You’ll be able to decide for yourself if this is just a case of bad marketing when and if Basmati Blues sees the light of day. There’s still no release date yet, although Shout! Fa ctory’s Shout! Studios recently acquired distribution rights.
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