Mikes Film Talk

Polite Society is a brilliant foray into the Indian/English experience. It has those Bollywood feels. It also has a dance sequence to die for, and English sights and sounds that permeate the entire proceedings. All of this is immersed in the Indian custom of arranged marriages and that ever present mix of two cultures.

There is also more than a hint of Scott Pilgrim and, perhaps, just a touch of Mortal Kombat. Not to mention that Bollywood wedding setting that nonetheless feels so English.

The plot is fairly straightforward. Ria, a martial artist and stuntwoman “wannabe” is upset that her talented older sister Lena has dropped out of art school. Even worse, her prospective suitor Salim feels too good to be true. The idea of losing her talented sister and sparring partner is just too much for Ria to bear.

Ria works hard to stop the whirlwind courtship and fails. She then sets her sights on discovering what is going on in the Shah household. It is during a spa day with Salim’s mother, Raheela that she realizes how hard she it will be to stop her.

The two Kahn girls, Ria and Lena, lose their sister feels for each other. Lena bans her younger sister from her life and her wedding. Meanwhile, Ria dreams of becoming a professional stunt woman. If only she can master the flying reverse kick.

behind and in front of the camera

Nida Manzoor directs her screenplay and does so with a spellbinding competence. She manages to balance comedy more than just a touch of chaos. The two female protagonists, Priya Kansara as Ria and Ritu Arya as Lena, knock this one out of the park. Manzoor has given us a very likeable pair of sisters.

Manzoor gives us one of those marvelous Bollywood dance sequences. While at least half of the Polite Society feels English to the core, the rest of the film is Bollywood all the way. The lush and vibrant colours of the costumes, the music and the action are all Indian gold.

Speaking of music the score of the film helps to move things along nicely. Polite Society feels like an unstoppable amalgamation of all things English with a nod to those brilliant Bollywood action films.

Going to make you laugh

Polite Society will make you laugh out loud while wincing at the events onscreen. This is tremendous fun. Mike’s Film Talk loves everything about this clever comedy. It has brilliantly choreographed fight sequences and a fast moving plot. There is also a splendid twist that ties this all up into a tight Bollywood style bow. This is a full 5 star film. Watch it now on Amazon Prime. You will be glad you did.