Punjabi Kudi – A review

by Priya Patel – University of Florida

Directed by: Radhika Bordia & Natasha Badhwar, Punjabi Kudi. 2008. 20 min.

This short 20-minute documentary takes an expansive look into South Asian female music artists in England and how they personally relate to their craft. The film captures individual perspectives ranging from the ambitious and strong-minded rapper, Taran Hard Kaur’, to traditional Kirtan singer who started performing in Gurdwaras after immigrating to England from India and searching to make a place for herself in a foreign land.

There were many aspects about this film which brought attention to issues relevant in the South Asian diasporic communities. Although relatively short, it manages to explore some of the complexities of trying to uphold cultural expectations, creating a new life/identity, and reconciling one’s position in society as a female and South Asian. All of the artists interviewed had their own unique story, all connecting back to music and how they all found opportunity and personal growth through pursuing it. Even though they all operate in different genres, there seems to be a common theme of using music to reconcile internal and external conflicts. For example, one of the women was able to finally accept herself on her own terms only after being invited/requested to DJ at a new club – but only under the assumption she plays and is in expert in Bhangra music. Taking advantage of the offer, she used outside expectations in regards to her musical sensibilities and connected to her roots through the process of familiarizing herself with Bhangra and other Indian styles of music. Her process and story, while completely different from the others, shares a similar overall tone of sincerity.

What I liked best about this film is how all the scenes flowed together in a natural, uncontrived way. Often with cultural documentaries, or films in general, the audience is forced or manipulated into absorbing or accepting a specific message. However this film is thought-provoking and easily accessible without oversimplifying or shoving an agenda down the audience’s throat. Although about music, the film (like any good film) manages to transcend it’s concrete subject to make larger, universal statements about succeeding and existing a woman, as South Asian, as a person. Needless to say, I highly recommend giving this a watch – a must for any smart, hip, and beautiful brown girl.

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