Challengers (2024)

Challengers, is an interesting sports film about tennis... or is it really about tennis? 

The story follows two male tennis players, Art and Patrick, who start as best friends passionate about the game. Their dynamic changes when they encounter Tashi Duncan (played by Zendaya), a teenage tennis superstar they both become obsessed with.

Tashi is a formidable player with a singular focus on winning. As both friends slowly fall deeper into their obsession, they lose sight of their own friendship and start become obsessed with winning. Specifically, winning Tashi. 

SPOILERS AHEAD 

Art eventually marries Tashi, though complications arise. Patrick becomes entangled in their lives through various "challenger" tournaments, and Tashi positions herself as his "prize" to be won. 

Tashi's true motivations are ambiguous, adding to the film's complexity. She might be a slight sociopath driven solely by a need to win and dominate. However, not everything is within her control.

SPOILERS END 

Both men’s love for Tashi is flawed and somewhat toxic. Art is so in love with her, that he'll continue playing competitive tennis at the cost of his own happiness. Patrick's deep infatuation with her brings him to do immoral things so he can run into her again. 

In a way both men "lose" their way in trying to win her. Trying to win her love, and her approval. Tennis ceases to be about the sport and becomes a means to win her.

Tashi embodies the paradox of human desire: the constant drive to win and compare, even though the satisfaction of victory is fleeting and only fuels further desire.

The film masterfully reveals how an obsession with winning can consume us, leading to a satisfying conclusion. It suggests that while our desire to win and achieve can be powerful, true fulfillment comes from appreciating the journey and recognizing our genuine connections.

Bend it like Beckham (2002)

Bend it like Beckham attempts to answer the age-old question plaguing many second-generation Indians growing up in Western countries: am I Indian, or Western? The movie responds in a way that doesn’t simplify anything but connects the dots beautifully: you’re both.

The plot centers on Jess (short for Jassminder), a young Punjabi girl who is extremely passionate about football (soccer). She spends all her spare time thinking about it and fancies playing with some of the guys in her neighborhood. Her sister nudges her to be more like a “normal” girl and wear makeup, tight clothes, and get a boyfriend. Her parents are distraught at seeing her playing with the guys. Yet, she relents and keeps playing.

Jules, another young soccer player, observes Jess on the field and invites her to try out for the women’s (I suspect juvenile women’s) national soccer team. Jess tries out and impresses the earnest/initially skeptical coach (Joe) and makes it onto the team.

There’s only one problem: Jess’s parents don’t know that Jess is playing for the women’s soccer team. And they’d rather she stick to being a “good” Punjabi girl and learn how to make aloo gobi instead. Like many Indian communities, her family wants to maintain a good face in their own community, and we soon find out from Jess’s dad’s past experience: being Indian in any non-Indian sports team could come with its fair share of risk (racism, etc.).

Yet, what follows in Jess’s life on the soccer field are many fruitful things: a strong friendship with Jules, a genuine romantic connection with Joe, and the joy of playing soccer, an activity she loves. The soccer field is like a second home, with Joe, Jules, and her teammates being another family in addition to her own. It becomes more and more difficult to choose one home, and the reality that the movie weaves until the end is that she needs both to feel truly fulfilled.

Many Indian Americans and Indian Europeans, I’m sure, have felt this crisis before: doing something that feels against their parents’ values and upbringing, yet what feels like the best thing to do for themselves. Bend it like Beckham beautifully addresses these topics by highlighting the importance of communication and honesty between parents and their children, and the belief that there can, in fact, be a bridge between both cultures that could lead to a better future for all.

Barbie (2023)

Barbie is a cultural phenomenon, to say the least. I've spoken to many who've seen the movie based on word of mouth. A large poster ad of Barbie hangs down from a skyscraper. I notice this every time I walk over to my sister's place. 

The movie is very thought provocative. At first glance, it seems like a family/kids movie about Barbie making things right: a film with a clear good against a clear bad. However, as the movie unfolds, there's a lot more hidden beneath the layers of pink and perfection. 

*** SPOILERS AHEAD *** 

Barbie was introduced as an alternative to baby dolls. And if you take a microscope and examine the lifestyle and lure of Barbie, there's quite a bit to admire, especially from the perspective of not just a little girl, but any millennial/pre-millennial woman who has grown up playing with a barbie.

Barbie owns her own home, has her own car, and lives in a world with other Barbies. Where barbies (women with model-like figures) run society with smiles, hugs, empathy and feminine intelligence. 

It's a world where women run the show - a utopia for most of us. 

However, just as how the real world sexualizes women, Barbieland sexualizes men. There's no equality in Barbieland just as there is no equality in the real world. 

Everything is put into perspective when Ken (Barbie's supposed boyfriend) flips things upside down in Barbieland: with Barbieland turning into Kendom, and Kens running the show, while Barbies get brainwashed into being bimbos. The only thing that ironically saves the barbies from giving up their independence and intelligence to the kens is hearing from other women how difficult it is to be a woman. In other words, empathy. 

Empathy, death and the meaning of perfection are all themes that come up in Barbie. And as you hear them, you realize that Barbie isn't just about Barbie. It's about all of us, who crave to be perceived, admired and deemed perfect by society. 

And at the end, what Barbie chooses is indeed surprising and satisfying. 

I'd highly recommend watching this film. The acting is pretty good, and the story doesn't fall into a standard action movie with a predictable plot. Instead, it retains its human element, asking honest questions about life, society, and well barbie.

Six (Broadway show)

 Just came back from the wonderful, powerful Broadway show "Six", which shows six strong women with six incredibly strong voices representing the ex-wives of Henry VIII. 

I love the modern twist in style and song that the show places in each of their stories. 

Without giving too much away, I would say that what I LOVED about the show were the vocals and the diversity of voices they cast. I LOVED the people of color representation, and I've heard some of the best solos I've heard in my entire life on that stage. 

What I thought could improve was the reckoning at the end. It's true that the six wives reclaimed their glory by spinning the take to say Henry VIII was in fact remembered because of how distinct and powerful their stories were, but I would have almost liked the show to connect these powerful and somewhat traumatic stories to the day to day. How can a woman living in a society now who maybe hasn't faced such a traumatic story connect to the message? 

There were some deep opportunities to connect their experiences to a deeper meaning that I felt was lost. 

Overall though I would still see the show. The glitz, soul, glamor, and love just poured through and all the actresses were absolutely amazing!!! 

Would HIGHLY recommend it!

Never Have I Ever (Season 2) - 2022

 Never Have I Ever (Season 2), is perhaps one of the best TV shows with Indian American representation that I've seen. The cast is superb, and the themes are certainly relatable.

The show touches on trauma (with loss), adolescence, identity crisis (being Indian vs being American), sexism, and heartbreak; all with a splash of comedy. 

It's masterfully written and there's a certain sense of warmth to the show that makes it overall just a must-see. 

Some of my favorite scenes (spolier below) 

• When Devi tells Paxton that his meltdown was important because it showed him how much he values school inside 
• When Devi tells Paxton that he's not truly doing his best and that he needs to go above and beyond 
• When Devi listens to video recordings of her dad to calm her heart down because of the built-up anxiety and tension 

It's tremendous how great this show is and I would highly recommend!

Lovebirds (2020)

As a somewhat standard romcom  film involving a bizarre murder, Lovebirds (2020) sure carries some of its own beat and authenticity. A lot of the film's spirit comes from the film's two stars: Issa Rae (playing Leilani) and Kumail Nanjiani (as Jibran) playing a couple on the brink of break up. 

The film had a lot of potential, but overall as some of the other reviews I've read said: the movie doesn't quite add up to the sum of its parts.  

It starts out extremely realistic with the couple having fun and starting what seems to be a perfect relationship, only for it to turn into a spiral of arguments 4 years later. The arguing moves from trivial things (like scheduling "freaky sex") to more serious things like questioning each others' character.

Right when they've come to the breaking point of their relationship, they hit a bicyclist who looks like he's being chased down. There's a "cop" that soon requests to take over their car to follow the bicyclist, with both of them in the passenger's seat. Soon the couple find themselves witness to a murder and have to spontaneously think of how to extricate themselves from it. Especially since they've been suspected by a couple of bystanders. 

"The woman happens to be african american and the man happens to be a person of color too. But I'm not racist, they actually did perform the murder", the bystander says. 

With a couple of minority main characters, the film does touch upon the effect of race in relation to the police. Neither Leilani nor Jibran think their chances are high of convincing the police that they're not involved in the crime because of the color of their skin, which prompts them to try to figure out the mystery of the murder on their own. 

What comes after that seems to be a movie that is trying too hard. 

The events that spiral afterwards are a bit random, and I feel like there were parts of the film that didn't quite reach the height of comedy like they could have. The couple was really likable but I wish that the film paid them more justice. Some of it felt extremely contrived to just turn the movie into a slapstick comedy, and we only see the couple have moments with each other in between heists; and the moments seem like an afterthought. There are definitely more pensive moments needed; and clever ones with the storyline to tie it all together, because from what I saw, the story seemed like a hodgepodge of complete randomness.

Overall though, I'd recommend the film for a few laughs. And I'm happy at how diverse we're becoming!

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020)

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo embraces everything Tollywood to the max: ostentatious fighting scenes (the hero is a one man army), glamorous female characters for show, weeping family drama sequences and a violent villain. However, the beating charm of this film comes from the ridiculousness of it all and somewhat unanticipated charm of Allu Arjun in the role.  If you want a few laughs, this movie is the right one for you, although in the beginning it certainly doesn't seem like it. It also delivers a core truth with light heartedness: that fate can neither replace human will to succeed, nor values. That being said, there are some god-like qualities the hero (Bantu) has, that I notice are prevalent in a lot of these Tollywood heroes: ability to ONLY speak the truth, always protect women and family through extreme macho violence, extreme intelligence and impeccable sense of humor, which is DEFINITELY unrealistic (how can anyone be that perfect?). At the end of the film, you feel like you've really seen a movie with a star. It's pure entertainment... 

That being said, there are some things I liked about the movie, and some things that made me roll my eyes (and even walk out). 

Here is a quick synopsis of the film: Bantu (Allu Arjun) learns at age 25 that he had been switched at birth with someone else (Raj) at a hospital, and that he's actually the son of a millionaire (Ramachandra). The person who orchestrates the switch is Valmiki, a bitter worker in Ramachandra's business who wants to see his biological son (Raj) succeed and bring down Ramachandra's real son (Bantu himself). 

What I liked: 

The storyline of Valmiki trying to switch his child with another child in the hospital, hoping that fate is written by what house you grow up in, how much money you have and how lucky you are is definitely an interesting (although not novel) concept. It's consistent throughout the film, as Valmiki tells Bantu, "your fate is bad, very bad. You'll never rise". I liked how the movie stays consistent with that theme and how Bantu rises from it (to Valmiki's chagrin) and proves otherwise. If you have the fixed mindset of Valmiki, alas, that's all your going to get. But if you have a growth, can-do attitude, you can become like Bantu (although this being the Tollywood movie that it is, Bantu seems to be born perfect).

I liked that the heroine's true skin tone was honored and that nowadays the industry is more accepting of darker skin in general. 

I liked that they didn't make Valmiki's real son Raj (living as Ramachandra's son for 25 years) a jerk, and just a regular person. Ramachandra's family is portrayed as a normal household with problems. 

I liked some of the ridiculousness, surprisingly. There's one scene that's pure fun when Bantu arrives to negotiate with the villain's son in a bright red suit, and starts dancing like crazy to youtube songs and jesting. It's just funny. In general the movie is light hearted and comedic, and that almost forgives the unrealistic nature of it all. I laughed out loud quite a few times. 

What I didn't like: 

I didn't really appreciate how women in these films are always super sidelined. Or any character other than the hero for that matter. For example, Raj wasn't given the chance to say no to the villain since Bantu had already fought with everyone on his behalf, and Bantu had to first put up a tough macho man demeanor before his female boss could feel confident to say no. There was a slight reprieve with Tabu's character as a woman who confronts her husband about his infidelity, and I wish to have seen more of that strength from the other female characters. I wish that women could breathe a little bit more outside of the Tollywood constraints that chain them.

Overall, I'd recommend the movie for its good fun. It's light hearted and carries some laughs. The songs and dancing are great (Allu Arjun dances really well). The message is good, but at the end of the day I wouldn't call it a great movie. In my view, hero perfectionism can carry some entertainment, but it's not enough to make a movie legendary: multi dimensional characters are.