BLUF

This movie celebrates the Hindu Festival of Lights- one of the most prominent festivals for Indian Americans, which became more widely known as “Indian Halloween,” thanks to an episode of The Office  that featured Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) attending a Diwali party thrown by the parents of Mindy Kaling’s character, Kelly. Melanie Chandra and Surina Jindal want to educate their audiences more about the culture and the Indian Americans who may be their neighbors.

THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES

In the middle of a dandiya event on the first day of Diwali, Melanie’s boyfriend dumps her in front of the whole Indian American community.

She reacts in a tad bit of violence making her video of stick girl go viral.

Then celebrity Lilly Singh inserts the clip into her gig making Melanie official. Her white boss, in the most inclusive made-to-order method, asks her to take a break from work.

In between Aunties, Bollywood, and bhangra dance group rivalry, a blood diamond gang, Kal Penn, and several other escalations, best friends Mel and Surina end up having a Happy Diwali of sorts.

IN THE KNOW

The movie starts on a weak note but slowly the story builds into a caricature of the Indian American community, the customs Desis take for granted and their exotic White appropriation, and how we are desi yet so American in the co-mingling of sorts.

Surina is a natural. Melanie finds her rhythm with Surina after the first 20 minutes. Punam is fab to the core in her portrayal of Sheela and she has some good sub-plots to navigate.

Kal Penn has one very grand scene with the auto on Chicago roads and a little sequence at the end of the ride which was well written.

The camera work, direction, art was made for a comedy and sometimes hit the right chemistry with the plot.

On the whole, a watch for the new-gen Indian Americans. Cartoonish to the core, yet it is an important movie for being the first to speak of a festival more than a Billion people celebrate. It’s a first and that is good. For now.

WHAT WE LOVED

Kal

Surina and Mel chemistry

Punam

WHAT WE MISSED

Gags