Review of Loins of Punjab Presents (2007) by Komal S — 31 May 2010

*Note: I actually worked hard on writing this review, but that version got deleted, so forgive me if this review is choppy*.

Though it fails to cross the finish line as an impressive, resonating film, it still succeeds to carry good weight through the movie keeping you entertained, interested, and lightly thought-provoked.

A representative of Loins of Punjab, which is a company that claims to be the largest pork company on the east coast collaborates with a producer (Jameel Khan) to start an Indian version of American Idol called "Desi Idol." While the contest is in production, we learn about each of the contestants' backgrounds and their motives for competing. All of these characters are portrayed and presented so clearly they all easily almost become 100% relatable, making the movie that much more enjoyable. Provided that all other elements of the film are too weak to even be recognized, the characters wholly give beauty and color to the film. These colorful characters include a highly-sophisticated, status-concerned woman who uses selfish, malicious tactics to achieve victory of the contest which she believes will ultimately help her build a better, higher reputation in her society (Shabana Azmi), an overprotected but highly-intelligent and talented 17-year old girl who dreams of becoming a professional singer (Ishitta Sharma), a pretty, non-Hindi-speaking young actress who dreams of becoming a Bollywood movie star (Seema Rahmani), an overconfident Bhangra rapper who is seeking fame (Ajay Naidu), a highly intelligent math whiz fond of calculating percentages (Manish Acharya), a non-Indian (white) man fascinated with India and loves singing (Michael Raimondi) and his proudly Indian girlfriend, (Ayesha Dharkar).

As the contest progresses, the cultural attitudes become stronger with the development of the characters. Though highly-exaggerated at times, these events (except for the producer's attitude towards women) can often be correlated with my own experiences, making the film more realistic.

Fortunately I was not able to guess the film's message from the beginning. Being an American-born Indian, I ironically fell victim to the unpredictability of the plot where I should have guessed the actions of the characters.

Overall, the film exposes the colorful Indian-American community and is an OKAY watch; watch if you're bored and are interested in a watching a mockumentary!