UNindian

This movie begins with a young woman named "Meera" (Tannishtha Chatterjee) waking up from a nightmare, and after going downstairs, finds that her mother is busy lighting incense as part of a Hindu custom to help inaugurate her new house. Having become "westernized," both Meera and her preteen daughter, "Smitha" (Maya Sathi), are somewhat embarrassed by the old ways, but they cope as well as they can. The film then shifts to a scene where a young man by the name of "Will" (Brett Lee) is teaching a small class of immigrants how to speak English like Australians. Seeking a change of pace, he then accompanies some friends to an Indian festival being held not too far from his apartment in Sydney, where he happens to meet Meera. Although he becomes quite smitten with her, there are a few things he doesn't know, and he soon discovers that the cultural divide makes any possible romance between them very difficult. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a humorous movie which benefited greatly from the exotic Indian culture and the performance of the aforementioned Tannishtha Chatterjee. That said, I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly above average.

This is not a sports film as viewers might expect looking at Brett Lee. The film is a nice love story between an Australian 'Aussie language' teacher and an Indian entrepreneur based out of Sydney Australia. This is a good film to watch with entire family. Australians and Indians will love it equally. Brett Lee has done a wonderful job off the cricket field. Tanishtha has played a balanced character very well. The supporting cast is excellent. It is great to watch Australian and Indian actors working together. The new bunch of second generation Indian actors is excellent. They have performed their part effortlessly. Overall the film is delight to watch. Go for it.

"Too Indian to be Australian and not Indian enough for India" or words to that effect that are uttered by the film's leading lady, are aptly descriptive of 'Unindian's' likely position in both countries' entertainment landscape.

I really didn't have high hopes for this; in part due to not expecting cricket legend Brett Lee to be much of an actor, and whilst di Caprio and Day Lewis are safe, the blonde haired Aussie has a warm and likable presence on screen. I also thought the storyline has been told numerous times before: a clash of cultures; a love story between two people from different worlds who have to navigate difficult reactions from family and friends and society on the way to true happiness. 'Unindian' doesn't really break any new ground, but for Australian audiences, the chance to see the sporting superstar on the big screen dancing Bollywood and romancing the exotic Meera, played by Tannishtha Chatterjee may hold some interest. I'm not sure the movie will be that well regarded in either India or Australia; but it does have large doses of charm; albeit with a little too much sprinkling of stereotypes and clichéd ridden misadventures.

Will (played by Brett Lee) is seemingly a bit of a lost soul; a pot without a lid, and although he has his mates; amusingly played by Adam Dunn and Arka Das, he stumbles across Meera at a cultural event and for him; it is love at first sight. But of course, as there is a lengthy duration to fill; the path is not going to be smooth; with lots of interferences, misunderstandings and some plot twists that threaten to derail the romance and the film's cohesion, but somehow Thushy Sathi's co-write of this original screenplay manages to bring the film to a satisfying enough conclusion. I didn't always believe the attraction between Will and Meera, at times it felt forced; despite Brett Lee's winning smile and natural charm. He certainly does his best to bowl his maiden over!

Less successful were the storyline surrounding Will's Australiana class which felt overdone and implausible, and the subplot involving a custody dispute shifted the tone and mood of the film in the final quarter. Even with seasoned pros like Tiriel Mora (The Castle) and John Howard (Seachange), some of the dialogue felt hackneyed and simplistic. A little judicious editing might have kept the film's momentum better, but as a collaboration between India and Australia, it will undoubtedly please Brett Lee's fans in both nations, but will it hit a 6 at the box office?

I'm very fond of clash-of-culture films, especially those with an Indian element. And so this film seemed like just the sort of thing I'd enjoy. And indeed it has a very good premise: an Indian woman living in Sydney (Meera) once married and now divorced, is being set up by her parents with all manner of eligible Indian bachelors. But she falls in love with - oh horror! - an Aussie bloke.

First the good. Meera's parents are well portrayed by Supriya Pathak and Akash Khurana, with acting that is not overdone, and with just the right amount of histrionics. The formidable Binky Aunty is a small part which is played to perfection by Kumud Merali. Arka Das as TK is another standout.

But none of these can overcome the wretched woodenness of Brett Lee. The man simply cannot act. He wanders through this film with a slightly abstracted air as though he was thinking of something else ("I should've put Smitty in to bowl for the second over ... should've opened the batting with Johnno ... ") and with an expression that seems hardly to ever change. Not one for any emotion on-set; the most we get is a sort of quizzical look as though wondering whether to have jam or marmalade on his toast, and occasionally a slightly pained look, as though he was going to sneeze. It's a wonder this film ever made it past the initial pitch to its backers.

I also think that Meera was miscast - she is supposed to be quite glamorous, and Tannishtha Chatterjee's portrayal seemed lacking in glamour. Maybe she was trying to bring herself down to Brett Lee's level by being ordinary. A nice contrast was a scene in which Meera is sitting next to her friend Shanthi, played by the truly glamorous Pallavi Sharda. Why was she not chosen to play Meera?

If you can stomach the non-acting, then it's not a wholly bad film. But the good actors in it, and the story itself, deserved far far better than they got.

I went into this film thinking I would see a "nice" film that "deserved to be seen" (which is too often code for a boring movie). I laughed my ass off, as did the whole audience. This is the most entertaining movie I've seen in months time and again the filmmakers found a way to surprise me. A tight story. Terrific performances from the stars all the way down to the tiniest roles. Perfect pacing. Graceful, muscular directing. This is not a "good little movie" -- it's a good movie. A smart, funny film. It would have been very easy for the filmmakers to fall back into stereotypes while writing and shooting this movie, but they skillfully steered clear of any pitfalls that plague so many other movies out there, especially in this genre.