American Chai

"American Chai" is a good effort by first time director Anurag Mehta. He also wrote the screenplay, which is OK, but not noteworthy in any way. There's nothing new to the story, a boy pursuing his dream of becoming a musician, even though his father wants him to be a doctor. The value of the film lies in the other conflict, between cultures. The American born son, Sureel, is all American, whereas the father still adheres to many Indian traditions. The film provides a tiny glimpse into this American/Indian culture.

Aalok Mehta, Anurag's real life brother, plays Sureel. To put it mildly, I think his acting leaves a lot to be desired. He's not alone in this regard. Aside from Paresh Rawal, who plays the father, most of the performances were merely adequate. This is not surprising, in that, Rawal is an accomplished performer in India.

The music was good, and I think Aalok has a future there, but otherwise, this is just a run-of-mill movie.

I loved watching this film because, being Indian, i felt that i could really relate to it. It was amazing to see how the main character interacted with his parents, because it was the same way that i did with my own.

Also, i thought that the quality of the acting was brilliant. The actors portrayed their characters effectively, really giving a true idea of Indian teens in college and the challenges that they face when it comes to the divide between the modern day mix of cultures and tradition.

I felt those moments of discovery watching "American Chai" like I did when I first saw "Greetings" by Brian DePalma, Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything," and Edward Burns' "Brothers McMullen" -- here's a major new talent.

Yeah it's yet another son-of-immigrants story, but the dialog is fresh, funny, tender and frank, the conflicts real and contemporary, the characters a rich and rounded variety of personalities and social types reflecting the titular mixed blend tea.

Anurag Mehta writes and directs an impassioned movie from the heart, and probably his experiences as an Indian-American artist wannabe growing up in NJ and going to Rutgers. Covering the college years before the young professionals in "ABCD," Mehta managed with no budget and a mostly young, multi-talented cast that's barely gotten their SAG cards, yet sings and writes music (appealing lead Aalok Mehta) and dances (captivating Sheetal Sheth, who was also in "ABCD"), including in funny satires of Bollywood conventions.

Like in Burns' own "Sidewalks of New York," the scene and symbolism setting World Trade Center-dominated background skyline will always let us know what day it was filmed before.

(originally written 4/20/2002)

Having seen other movies which didn't quite capture the reality of being a first generation Indian, what a refreshing change. This was a movie I think that people of any ethnicity could relate to, whereas others relied heavily on stereo-types of Indians for cheap laughs. I'm interested in seeing this writer/director release some more work, since this was an excellent first outing, if that is the case.

This is by no means a perfect movie, there are some silly things in the plot and it does start to show a little weakness in the ending. However, the characters were likable and the script had a lot of smart writing, and funny moments. Anyone of Indian heritage should definitely check it out.

In some ways Anurag Mehta was ahead of his time with American Chai. Anurag, an Indian-American, wrote and directed this movie which portrays Indians in a more complex, honest and real way compared to the way they were portrayed in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom.

I'd love Anurag Mehta to direct a reboot of Slumdog Millionaire to give a true Indian perspective.