Pseudo

Walking into a cinema to watch a low budget independent film either means your passionate about film or nothing commercial takes to your fancy. In my case it's the first... With low expectations and an unknowing sense of wanting it to be a good film out of the south Asian in my blood trying to support Canadian Indians, Pseudo really took me a back and surprised me.

The first scene out of focus drew me in to the film followed by some great title packaging. Performances of Sleeze, Cheema and Jamal were excellent. They really brought the essence of the film out. Each of their characters had a lighter of darker side that highlighted the others performance. Sleeze and Cheema interested me the most and I would love to see the prequel to their story.

Cinematography was outstanding...hats off! Was truly impressed by the way the film was shot. The direction and story line were brilliant however I do wish more time was spent developing certain characters before the camera rolled.

The downside was the sound. The soundtrack is brilliant...I really liked it, I just wished the dubbing was a little louder as it was drowned out by the music. I wish the film had not been dubbed, the performances would have been outstanding...

A great watch... A must see... Look out for Sleeze, Cheema and Jamaal.

To be honest I was not expecting a Hollywood blockbuster due to the low budget nature of the production, but I was pleasantly surprised by the professional feel of the film. I found the film initially slow to begin but soon gathered pace as you were drawn into the storyline.The performances of the 4 friends Cheema, Jamal,Johnny and Duggy were good and the dialogue flowed well between them.Naresh K's character, Sleaze came across as a complex and manipulative individual and I think the film should have spent a little more time explaining the background to his character, i.e. how he got to know the crew, and uncover more about his murky and dark past. The gangster character, Harry, for me lacked menace and appeared to be miscast for the role. I could not take him seriously with his boneheaded right hand man Lefty. I would also expect a gangster of the calibre portrayed be dirty Harry to have had more involvement in certain fights and killings in the film.

However, putting these minor issues aside, this film turned out to be a compelling watch with an unexpected twist in the plot.

Being a first time movie critic, (Canadian Style Bollywood movies)I was blown away and in awe with this movie. From the beginning of the movie to the end it had you guessing what was happening next. When you thought you knew what was going on...Bam it changed in another direction. Brilliant absolutely brilliant. This is a flick where all the characters had a role which suited them and they all played the character with "Gusto!" From the Police, to the best friends to even Harry, all the characters where brilliantly acted.

The writer's and director's of this movie went "ABOVE AN BEYOND" when they created this flick. For a directors/writer's debut once again it was fantastic and nothing but a great review. I hope they team up again for another movie with the same style of acting and heart and soul that they definitely put into this one.

Bravo Gentleman, Simply........Bravo.

I had low expectations for Pseudo and was not expecting much as an independently produced film, but I was pleasantly surprised. The film is set in Canada in the underground drug trafficking world.

The film is beautifully shot, but the continuity member of the production team should be sacked and some of the editing was questionable. The film itself starts off slow by setting the context of the film in the first half; however the tempo speeds up in the second. What stood out for me was the relationship with all five members of the crew, and how Sleaze a very sinister character in the film with psychotic tendencies and born killer instincts, was initially used as eye candy in the film, but later in the film his character takes the movie into a different direction. Sleaze is craftily played by young and up-coming actor Naresh K who has strong crossover appeal, with great screen presence and lead actor potential. However, there were several other actors with whom I was less impressed with, for e.g. Dirty Harry who played a parody of a gangster and lefty could have been more aggressive, but both worked well as a double comedy act (possibly an attempt to hit the Bollywood market). Cheema was less convincing as a credible gangster crew leader, but played it the best he could, casting director probably at fault; I think my mum could have taken him on! I was impressed with Jamal played by Tay Shawn with an interesting twist near the end.

You should watch this movie if you want something different to a predictable Bollywood movie, and secondly to support the new breed of South Asian based cast and directors coming through looking to cater for the new generation of South Asians who have been influenced by Western movies.

For a first attempt and probably a limited budget I would give this film 8 out of 10, as the story and plot is very good and the twists in the film are interesting and well crafted.

Pseudo was a film that dealt wit real life events.

It gives you a very good insight in what happens in drug related incidents.

Acting in the film was really good from everyone. We were very privileged to be part of the premiere to support our friend Naresh K.

He played a very intense character within the film which he gave us two sides of him.

He kept us on the edge as we did not know where the character is going.

Every character had a vital input within the film. As this is the first Canadian Bollywood film it was directed well. The music within the film was really good and it tied in with the storyline.