'Speedy Singhs' (English)
Director: Robert Lieberman
Cast: Vinay Virmani, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Camilla Belle and others
We all know what happens in a feel-good movie about a sports team. A bunch of people passionate about a sport (but who suck at it) get together, and the underdog emerges victorious, thanks to the coach, a man whose promising career withered away due to his tragic flaws — injury, scandal, or ego.
But unlike 'Bend it Like Beckham' and 'Chak de! India', this movie is not about a team of tomboyish girls with short hair, but manly men with long hair. Well, mostly. And no one in the team falls for the coach.
So, the freshness of the movie rests entirely on the presentation, sub-plot and humour. And 'Speedy Singhs' scores on all three counts. Within the framework of its formula, the story is truly original. Yes, the family does not understand the sport or their child’s obsession with it, and things will only change when the Indianness of it all hits them.
But the specifically Indian stigma of a son, who drops out of college and can’t stick to a job because it bores him, is sure to strike a chord with the audience. And in a desi production, no one can play the NRI father, trying to hold on to his roots, better than Anupam Kher.
However, the clash of cultures and the impact of racism do not come across as strands forced into the picture. They seem incidental, part of the fabric of the story. In this particular case, the issue is not so much about racism, as perception of the ‘other’. And, for once, the question of identity is not a typical NRI dilemma. Anyone who’s been to school anywhere in the world has witnessed or taken part in the bullying of kids with thick glasses, fat belly and/or turbans. The child actor, who plays the protagonist’s brother in 'Speedy Singhs', does a wonderful job in his role, transitioning easily from cheery and boisterous to lonely and depressed.
Where humour is concerned, it plays out like Loins of Punjab Presents meets Delhi Belly, with a side-serving of Harold and Kumar. Russell Peters plays Sonu, the despicable fiancé of Reena (Noureen DeWulf), the cousin of Rajveer Singh (Vinay Virmani). His run-ins with Rajveer provide for some great repartee. He slips in his regular stand-up routines, complete with exaggerations of racial stereotypes.
They’re rather funny on celluloid because, with actors taking the place of a live audience, the target doesn’t have to grin and bear it.
But the wit does not hinge on Peters. The situational comedy and the one-liners, especially the asides in Hindi and Punjabi, will make you double up.
The cast of the movie, largely comprising first-time actors, is well-chosen. The actors are spontaneous, making the dialogues sound natural, and the screenplay facilitates both timing and content delivery.
The impromptu song-and-dance dream sequences make you think, “Whatever the makers of this movie were on when they shot this, I want two of those.”
The closing song, featuring Ludacris and Akshay Kumar alongside the rest of the cast, gets you grooving in your seat.
Some may find the special appearance of Akshay Kumar, and the effect his words in the movie-within-a-movie have on the main character, contrived. But taking into account the glamour Bollywood holds for the desi audience, and the fact that something a star says could well assume significance when you’re looking for a signal, I think it works.
And if none of the above is enough reason for you to go watch 'Speedy Singhs', try this — chances are that you’ve never seen Anupam Kher knotting up his long hair into a turban before.