IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Chrysanthepop While cultural identity may be a key theme of Somnath Sen's 'Leela', the film presents it well without the use of clichés or at the expense of the story. For example, American Indian Krishna's clash of cultural identity is depicted in a very subtle manner. There is no Indian culture is great and American culture is bad nonsense or vice versa (which is usually the case with this kind of films that are made by Indian directors). Sen doesn't take any side here and he attempts to portray a balanced view.In addition, 'Leela' works excellently as a character-driven piece. The characters are very well-defined. The story moves slowly but this invites the viewer to get to know these people: Krishna, Leela and Chaitali: Krishna has almost completely assimilated to his American identity. Were it not for his parents, he probably would have entirely washed off his Indian identity. The growth of his character as he learns to appreciate Indian culture thanks to Leela is very convincingly demonstrated. The writer doesn't force him to give up his American identity but rather has the character realize that he is both: an Indian and an American.Fiercely independent, his lovely mother, Chaitali, has already embraced American culture without losing her connection to her Indian roots. She has managed to balance her identity and is living her life the way she wants to.Beautiful, intelligent and lonely Leela has just arrived in the country and experiences and appreciates the beauty life in America. She learns that one cannot live a happy life just by living it for someone else. In Krishna, she finds a companion and they both learn something from each other.The use of poetry and music is done delightfully. Jagjit Singh's soothing voice and Gulzar's magical lyrics breathe poetry into the story. It gives 'Leela' a very lyrical feel. The dialogues are splendid.On the technical side, the cinematography is adequate but the lighting is a little faulty.Deepti Naval and Dimple Kapadia are superb. Amol Mhatre looks a little uneasy in the more dramatic sequences but his presence adds to the innocence of Krishna. Gulshan Grover and Vinod Khanna provide good support.Poetic, subtle and engaging, 'Leela' does a fine job of telling a story about cultural identity and self discovery.

abhi-9 This seemed to be a good movie, I thought it would be a good movie, and throughout the movie I was hoping it would be a meaningful use of my time, and yes, I have to admit that the acting talent of Dimple Kapadia and Deepti Naval where truly commendable, but despite the best effort this movie falls short of effectively conveying a meaningful message, which it seems is it seemed was what Somnath Sen is trying to do. The final point comes short and the ending seemed kind of unsatisfactory after all that happens; a bit like real life in that respect but movies unlike real life ends in about 2hrs and the ending should leave the audience satisfied, if indeed that was the director's intention. This falls short in that respect and that is what disappoints me the most.Another aspect that concerned me was the national stereo-typing of the American characters - they all seem to be carved out of the same block. Seems to me that most American characters in Indian English movies are based upon how common Indians themselves perceive Americans to be like and it is clear that no effort has been made to bring any sense of depth or complexity to any American in the movie.These two aspects put together they make for a disappointing story.

S J I had expected this to be another pretentious drama with stereotypical Indo-American characters and all the identity issues that they face while growing up in the US. But this turned out to be a little less preachy and clichéd, and treated the characters as individuals than caricatures of the culture they represent.The story revolves around the familiar subject of US born Indians, their immigrant parents and all the values that they feel torn between. Movies like American Desi, Hollywood Bollywood have treaded on this path earlier, albeit on a lighter note, and have never really come across as anything more than entertaining. Mitr and ABCD were perhaps more of a serious study on the subject although poor acting and direction seemed to have doomed Mitr right from the start. ABCD on the other hand was an honest effort with believable characters that came off surprisingly well. This film may have set out on the lines of ABCD with big names thrown in for commercial viability but falls short of being convincing.The central character is a teenager who comes from a rather unconventional family (unconventional in Indian terms) wherein his parents are both separated and have found new partners to live with and go on with their lives. They appear to be successful in terms of career, their adaptation to the native culture and pretend to be comfortable with their choices and arrangements - all in the name of freedom and individuality. But they somehow still seem to cling on to their roots of tradition and conservative thinking which manifests hideously when they realize that their boy is having an affair with his teacher, played with finesse by Dimple Kapadia. The mother (a good come-back performance by Deepti Naval) desperately tries to break this with a whole deal of emotional drama which goes to show the real insecurity behind the superficial image of modern thinking and liberate views that she portrays! But in the process the characters are made aware of their own shortcomings and insecurities that bring about a sea of change in all of them to eventually help the movie end in a pleasant note! The actors play their parts with relative ease and do not seem too awkward. Visually the movie is charming with good cinematography and art direction that's done tastefully. The editing is also crisp and the soundtrack with lyrics by Gulzar and playbacks by Jagjit Singh and Shubha Mudgal, amongst others, seems to blend well without really sticking out as a sore thumb. It's finally the narration and the script that limits this effort from really evolving into something meaningful and serious. The film eventually comes across as a half-baked effort that loses purpose as it progresses and a script that never acquires that serious tone or pace to keep you completely engaged.But all said this still seems a step in the right direction for serious Indian filmmakers. The Indian community is often looked upon as made up of successful individuals in fields of commerce and education but never really presented seriously beyond the boot polish smeared faces of Peter Sellers and other Hollywood actors. These films perhaps would pave the way for an entry into the mainstream foray by Indian filmmakers.

Jugu Abraham I do not know anything about Somnath Sen, the director of the film. If this is indeed his first film, I congratulate him for pulling together a good cast and some fine production quality that lifts up the film.However, the script is nothing more than a reworking of "40 carats" and/or "Summer of '42". If the film is aimed at the Indian or South Asian community in Asia, the film will draw some attention. This is because the line up of the commercially accepted Indian movie actors--Dimple Kapadia, Deepti Naval and Vinod Khanna--will pull the crowds out of curiosity to see them act in an English movie. Compared to an average Indian film, the camerawork, editing, and music of this US film are all used with considerable finesse. Sen's work stands out for these factors not the screenplay, the performances or the story. Ms Kapadia and Ms Naval prop up the film as they are both beautiful and evidently quite talented. I wish they could act in films of some top-notch European director!