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American Desi: Confused and Implausible

American Desi, an independent low-budget movie, is billed as the first feature film on Indian-American college students growing up in the United States trying to balance their traditional roots with modern Western upbringing.

The movie is a lighthearted spotlight on 'American Born Confused Desis' or ABCDs, which, incidentally, was its original title before it was abridged.

American Desi looks in the right place for its story idea: among the million-plus Indian immigrants who have settled in America and spawned a vibrant second, and even a third, generation. Individual and collective experiences of this Diaspora are a rich source for classic novels, movies, plays and essays.

But this well-conceived movie turns into a farce featuring moronic stereotypes that belie their own caricatures. This is not for lack of talent. The film's cast includes trained actors with Broadway and network television credentials. The movie fails in execution primarily because it is devoid of credible characters and a plausible plot.

The movie's central character is teenager Krishna Reddy (played by Deep Katdare, who is also the movie's executive producer). Krishna lives in suburban New Jersey with his parents who are presented as 'traditionally Indian', a label that befits few first-generation Indian immigrants. Scratch any Indian immigrant and you will find multiple layers of modernity and tradition.

Krishna insists on being called 'Kris', part of his attempt to become Americanized and de-Indianized. Ironically, even as Indian arts and cuisine are seeping visibly into mainstream American chic, Kris shuns anything Indian. He digs American pop music but hates Hindi film songs, as if these are mutually exclusive cultural domains.

As we see Kris leaving home for college with his hockey gear in a convertible, it's difficult to fathom what aspect of Americana Kris has been deprived of. Although portrayed as having been immersed in 'Indian culture', Kris cannot even pronounce or locate naan in an ethnic grocery store. So stunted is the film's central character.

Let's switch to reality for a moment. In real America, most high school graduates of Indian origin are not only mature beyond their age but also quite well adjusted in American society. About the only trauma these privileged teenagers face is having to choose from multiple Ivy-league colleges vying for their parents' life savings.

The movie's central theme is based on a fascinating idea, namely the romantic courtship between two ABCDs: an American Born Confused Desi (Kris) and an American Born Confident Desi (Nina, played by Purva Bedi of ER fame). A relationship like this promises intriguing possibilities and subtle tensions. But nuances are completely missing in this movie's Bolly-wooden script.

Nina's character too is confusing. She is supposed to be sophisticated but is shown comfortable dating Rakesh, an uncouth and knavish character (played by Anil Kumar whose credit includes NBC's Law & Order.) You may not believe it, but there is even a brief Bollywood-style brawl between hero and villain. Need you ask how it all ends?

The movie has another clever twist: Arriving at college, Kris finds, to his consternation, that two of his roommates and a teaching assistant are tradition-bound Desis. Unfortunately, this idea too is wasted. It's not entirely clear if these characters are American born or fresh-off-the-boat foreign students.

Real world foreign students are among the most accomplished teenagers in the world, if not for their academic scores, for their wily ability to wangle a student visa out of the INS vigilante. While they may keep reminiscing about Rafi or Rekha, their sights are set far ahead (green cards, cars, jobs), even in their freshman year.

In American Desi, these characters are lampooned with tired references to Indian Standard Time and Kama Sutra . Their dormitory donnybrooks are vapid imitations of Animal House antics minus the talent.

To be sure, teenagers of Indian origin grapple with unique ambiguities and angst. But American Desi's plot and characters are too shallow to depict these subtleties.

Who says Confused Desis cannot also be Captivating Desis? They are a goldmine for sagacious stories.

Too bad this movie is not about any of them.

(John Laxmi is a New York based freelance writer http://www.johnlaxmi.com/)

You may also want to see:

An American Desi's Dream

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