The first thing that struck me about Deepa Mehta was her laugh, her deep hearty chuckle emanated joy and immediately reminded me of my maternal grandmother’s laugh. I instantly felt as though I were speaking with someone who reminded me of home. So quick was I able to create a bond with Mehta, even over the phone, that I ended our call by telling her that her laugh sounded exactly like my grandmother’s, to which she responded with another hearty laugh. At the time of our conversation, both Mehta and I had been away from family for months – her mother was based in Delhi and my own family in Bangkok. She ended the call with an incredibly sweet and sincere offer to “call anytime [I] miss Nani.”

This same sense of nostalgia is reflected in the cinematography of Mehta’s “Funny Boy,” an adaptation of Shyam Selvadurai’s 1994 Lamda Literary award-winning novel of the same name. The film was acquired by Ava DuVernay’s Array. Released back on December on Netflix, “Funny Boy” was selected as Canada’s official entry for the 2021 Academy Awards, but then rejected by AMPAS for having “too much English language” in the film – one of many arbitrary and ridiculous ways awards organizations seek to box many different films (see: “Minari” nominated as Best Foreign Language film at the Golden Globes, on the flip side).

The film chronicles the journey of a young boy called Arjie who is from an upper middle-class family in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the awakening of his sexual identity during a time of rising political tensions between the Tamil minority and Sinhalese majority. The events of the film lead up to the 1983 riots in Sri Lanka that killed thousands of people.

In a film about love, pain, and identity, the beauty of Sri Lanka is depicted in the very small details, from the costume design to the scenery of the homes amidst the conflict in the country. Mehta takes care to linger on each character and each scene to show the layered complexity embedded into Arjie’s story.

As Arjie and his family learn to acknowledge his sexual identity in a country where homosexuality is a criminal act and he is discriminated against for his “funny” behavior, Arjie learns to embrace his identity and find a new sense of home within himself. Concurrently, mirroring his journey of self-identity, the characters in the film seek refuge in Canada, away from the home they grew up in — the film touches upon very relevant themes of inter-ethnic tensions and immigration.

Mehta’s previous films include the Trilogy of “Fire” (1996), “Earth” (1998), and “Water” (2005). “Water” was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar that year. When asked about how her family and friends reacted to her latest film, Mehta discussed how her daughter had actually described FUNNY BOY as the fourth element in the trilogy. “She said that this film is about space. The space that you occupy as human beings with our own sexuality and who we are. It tackles the questions of whether we can share that space physically and culturally, and what stops us.”

Not new to adapting books, Mehta co-wrote the script with Selvadurai. In fact, Shyam had written a 180-page script before approaching Mehta for the adaptation. Even though Mehta had filmed in Sri Lanka before for WATER and MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN, Selvadurai, who is half Tamil and half Sinhalese, introduced Mehta to a community of actors, filmmakers, writers, film producers, and translators, amongst others. “You can’t just breeze into a country and demand for things, like for actors and creatives to work with you. Shyam was vital in the collaborative process. For Shyam, the book is Sri Lankan, not Tamil, not anything else. It is a bridge and plea for solidarity between the different cultures in Sri Lanka.”
It was important to both Shyam and Mehta that the actor who play Arjie be openly queer. The film has received quite a bit of pushback for the lack of Tamil actors in the film, to which Mehta stated that it was challenging finding actors who were out and who would be willing to be out on screen. “There is still a lot of oppression, fear, and suppressed sadness within the Tamil community. At the end of the day, ”

There were also challenges as Mehta had to wait for a year for the film to be accepted by the National Film Corporation in Sri Lanka to begin filming. The actor who played Arjie, Brandon Ingram, had so impressed Mehta during their first meeting in terms of how articulate and thoughtful he was about the film and story. “He is a very quiet and wise soul. He is so sensitive and yet doesn’t take himself seriously. It’s a perfect combination and great discipline to have as an actor. He believes that unless you take risks, you won’t grow.”

In a time when the world seems to be fraught with divisiveness, Mehta hopes that the film and its story will resonate with audiences all over the world. “This Arjie’s coming-of-age story and the story of the oppression of minorities, but a friend of mine told me that it can be also be about what is happening everywhere else – in Palestine, Turkey, Inda, Rwanda, Syria — wherever there is hatred and divisiveness, wherever there is a nationalist populist government. Shyam’s book, and this film, hopefully reflects that in times of pain, love can also happen. Love for each other and love for yourself.”

By Brown Girl Magazine

Brown Girl Magazine was created by and for South Asian womxn who believe in the power of storytelling as a … Read more ›

Photo Courtesy of Varsha Panikar

“After so Long” is a poetry film created for Simha’s EP, which is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. The poem was collaboratively written by Simha, a U.S. native, and Jae, who is based in India, during the 2020 lockdown. “After so Long” was recited by Simha and their parents. In 2022, I directed and produced the film through my studio, Star Hopper. “After so Long” premiered on Nowness Asia in March 2022.

By Varsha Panikar

Varsha Panikar (they/he) is a filmmaker, writer and multi-disciplinary artist from India. They are the co-founder of Star Hopper, a … Read more ›

For any of us who have siblings, the relationship with them can be one of the most fulfilling ones. And also one of the most bloody frustrating. No one can quite stroke the fire like someone who knows you extremely well, or sometimes not, but have a familial bond with that neither one of you chose. In “Polite Society,“directed by Nida Manzoor, sisters Ria Khan and Lena Khan’s loving, sweet, and sometimes tumultuous relationship takes center stage. 

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Played delightfully by Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya, respectively, the evolution of their relationship is one of the film’s greatest and simultaneously weakest points. It’s also pretty cool to see two South Asian actresses in an action-comedy movie — how refreshing it is to mention the art of choreography and praise it in regards to fight sequences vs. dance sequences for a film centered on two South Asian women — that itself shows progress. 

This all happens when Lena gets engaged after dropping out of art school. Ria feels betrayed. They were supposed to be on this journey together in fighting for their dreams. Ria decides that she knows what’s best for her sister and enlists the help of her friends to rescue the damsel in distress from her own wedding. Her deep animosity towards the prospect of Lena getting married is also fueled by Lena’s fiancé and his mother acting extremely suspiciously. The twist that ultimately brings the two sisters back together is both shocking and weirdly somewhat progressive in the motive behind the villain’s origin story. But the twist, unfortunately, is too ambitious for the movie as it tacks on another genre and theme earnestly, but still clunkily. 

“Polite Society” tackles not only what it means to fight for one’s dreams but also what it means to have just one ardent supporter. As Lady Gaga famously said, “There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don’t believe in you but all it takes is one and it just changes your whole life.” Well, Ria’s Bradley Cooper was her very own sister who seemed to abandon her, and her faith in her, when she chose a different path. For Lena, the film opened up the question of marriage and the weight it bears in the life of a South Asian woman. Ria’s lack of understanding of the pressure it places on Lena is the start of the change in their relationship — the start of Ria’s coming of age and the start of Lena settling firmly into her adulthood. 

Standouts from the cast include Ria’s best friends, played by Seraphina Beh and Ella Bruccoleri, who commit to the story and characters with such hilarity and conviction. They add the lightheartedness and playfulness the film needs, and it is refreshing that never once do they use Ria’s cultural background as a way to make fun of her or dismiss her.

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It is also heartening to see Lena and Ria’s parents being some of the most supportive South Asian parents seen on screen. At the end of the day, it is not the external family pressure that impacts the decisions made by the sisters but rather their own satisfaction, or lack thereof, with their own lives that become the driving force of their actions. 

“Polite Society” is written and directed by a South Asian woman for South Asian women, and is definitely worth a watch when it releases in theaters this April. 

Photo Credits: Focus Features LLC

By Nimarta Narang

Born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, Nimarta grew up devouring Hindi movies, coming-of-age novels and one too many psychology textbooks. … Read more ›

Being a teenager is scary. Hormones, high school, trying to fit in — add to it a flesh-hungry demon from the Indian subcontinent and it becomes downright terrifying. At least, that’s what award-wining director Bishal Dutta’s debut feature “It Lives Inside” will have audiences thinking when it hits theaters on Sept. 22. 

From the producers of several blockbusters including “Get Out” and “Us,” “It Lives Inside” stars Megan Suri as Samidha. Samidha is an Indian American teenager growing up in a quintessential small town, where she’s one of only a handful of South Asian faces at her school. She has a sweet, hardworking dad (Vik Sahay) and a caring, but stern mother (Neeru Bajwa). Both of them like their daughter home early to make prasad for prayers and insist no one whistles in the house, fearing it’ll attract evil spirits. 

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Tamira has become the center of school gossip carrying around an ominous black mason jar, dwelling beneath the gym bleachers. One day, she corners Sam in the locker room, begging her for help from the “monster” trapped in the jar, but Sam is rigid. Her desire to fit overcomes her emotions. Tamira storms out — and then mysteriously goes missing. 

Little does Sam know, her childhood friend’s behavior and disappearance were brought on by the Piscacha — a flesh-eating Hindu demon drawn to negative energy — and Sam’s disbelief has just unleashed its terror back on her. 

“It Lives Inside” is a breath of fresh air. It has the nostalgic backdrop of a 1980s teen movie (think “Sixteen Candles” or even “Halloween”) but adds the thrill of an exciting new monster for horror fans, and looks for the final girl.

Audiences have spent decades watching and screaming at faith-based horror stories like “The Exorcist,” “The Conjuring,” and “Carrie,” but “It Lives Inside” is the first of its kind for Hollywood, drawing from Hinduism for its frights. 

Now, I can’t lie…when I first learned the story would be rooted in Hinduism, I was nervous. I worried that religion and culture may be used as a gimmick, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Dutta’s approach is reminiscent of Bisha K. Ali’s with “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+. Characters speak Hindi and we see South Asian religious practices, foods, and clothing displayed prominently, in a natural and authentic way that other groups can easily learn and understand. The culture merely rounds out the story, it’s not the main character or conflict. 

The Piscacha, feeding on the despondence of its prey, may remind some of Vecna from season 4 of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” but Dutta offers a fresh angle, alluding to the characters’ negative feelings toward their culture being the source of its power.  

He offers South Asian American audiences relatable family dialogues and dynamics, but also steers clear of cliches like showing popular kids as mean or Sam’s American crush unlikeable.

“It Lives Inside” isn’t a horror movie you’ll lose sleep over, but that doesn’t mean it’s without palpable moments of fear.

Thanks to Dutta’s creative shots, smart pacing and sensory visuals, in addition to the emotion-packed acting of its cast, the film successfully makes your skin crawl and your jaw drop on several occasions.  

The characters are smartly cast with several standouts. Suri is a welcome new face for the horror genre’s final girl and she delivers her role with the right amount of escalating fear and desperation. Meanwhile, Bajwa leans into hers with the passion you’d expect from a protective brown mom, though, at times, some of her Hindi drama tells come through. 

“Get Out’s” Betty Gabriel is also noteworthy as Sam’s teacher Joyce and an early confidant. Her support of Sam was a refreshing break from the “this person must be crazy” trope we see so frequently in demonic films. 

All that said, “It Lives Inside” does border on being formulaic. It follows a template and scares we have seen numerous times and ones that have done well historically. 

But in its familiarity, it also manages to feel fresh. With its South Asian twist, the film proves that even formulaic horror films can find new life through diversity and inclusivity. It raises the idea that they have the potential to scare wider audiences and tell more spooky stories by exploring new cultures and casts. 

While “It Lives Inside” is not perfect — the climax may leave you with a few lingering questions — it is a stylish and well-made film and a welcome piece of mainstream South Asian representation.

[Read Related: Kamala Khan As ‘Ms Marvel’ Is The Greatest Thing To Happen To Pakistani-Muslim-Americans]

Recent past has seen South Asian stars delve into many different genres on television and the big screen, but horror has remained largely untouched. Thankfully, “It Lives Inside” has set the table for some brilliant South Asian-based horror films in Hollywood for years to come. 

“It Lives Inside” made its world premiere at SXSW and has made its way through the film festival circuit. It will be released theatrically by Neon on September 22. 

By Ramona Sukhraj

With a B.S. in Marketing from the UCONN School of Business, Ramona has made a name for herself publishing over … Read more ›