The premature death of Manish Acharya in 2010 robbed Indian cinema of an irreverent talent. Acharya, who was only 43 when he died in a horse-riding accident, left behind a sharp satire about aspirational Indian Americans to remember him by: Loins of Punjab Presents (2007).
Acharya’s only movie revolves around Desi Idol, a singing contest sponsored by a pork manufacturer (hence the title). Organised by Bokade (Jameel Khan) and his associate Mr White (Kunaal Roy Kapur), the competition takes place over a weekend in a hotel in New Jersey. Various contestants strain their vocal cords for the grand prize of $25,000.
The 86-minute movie, which is in English, can be rented from Apple TV+, YouTube Movies and Google Play. A fine cast of characters recreates New Jersey in Mumbai, which is apt, given that so many of the characters behave as though they never left the motherland.
Leading the ratings is the demure and well-behaved Preeti Patel (Ishita Sharma), who has arrived with her village-sized Gujarati family. The socialite Rrita (Shabana Azmi) wants to win at any cost, managing to overcome her disdain for her rivals by hatching one scheme after another.
Balraj Deepak Gupta aka Turbanatorius BDG (Ajay Naidu) wants to be the “galactic Jedi light force of bhangra”. Sania (Seema Rahmani) is pursuing a career in Hindi films. The white American Josh (Michael Raimondi) is a die-hard Indophile who is accompanied by his girlfriend Opama (Ayesha Dharker). Manish Acharya himself plays Vikram, a soon-to-be-unemployed analyst.
In between auditions, the contestants get a measure of each other, while viewers are treated to humour that ranges from broad – always guaranteed when Bokade or the Patels are around – to deadpan. But there are also less obvious feints in the screenplay by Acharya and Anuvab Pal.
Prejudices and stereotyped attitudes are cheerfully flung about, with neither filters nor good sense. There is consternation over Josh’s inclusion, given his nationality, while Opama gets rude comments on her skin colour. The script’s masterstroke is the identity of the winner, which superbly sends up double standards among non-resident Indians.
While all the actors are impressive, Shabana Azmi is especially memorable as the pretentious and dangerous Rrita. Azmi is being given a lifetime achievement award at the ongoing MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
Loins of Punjab Presents, in which Azmi selflessly shares the screen with a host of younger and lesser-known actors, is further proof of her comedic skills. Rrita is one of Azmi’s best roles, from a movie that was meant to kick-start a promising career, rather than serve as an epitaph.
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