Bhaji on the Beach

Must-see on transnational gender, race, class
What does it mean to be Indian women in today's Britain? "Bhaji on the Beach" follows a intergenerational group of transmigrant Indian women in the UK as they organize for a day at the seashore. En route they address racism, sexism, and changing culture in ways sometimes humorous, sometimes in-your-face brash, sometimes frightening, sometimes poignant. The range of women -- young feminist organizer, recent bride, young mother, middle-class housewives, traditional grandmothers,sexually awakening teens -- and the the issues addressed make the film both emotionally engaging and thought provoking. The outing that is the central occasion in the film touches off a series of moral and cultural dilemmas for these women. Through vignettes, the contradictions (often quite funny) faced by the women unfold. The generations unexpectedly come together around wife battering and community responses to it. Fine acting, deft directing.

Good, but somewhat of an empty plot!
This movie is a very good attempt by Meera Syal and Gurinder Chadha to show how Indian women try to embrace new cultural ideals while retaining traditions of the past. The women not only suffer from racism in white England, but also sexism within their own culture.

However the narrative seems to be somewhat underdeveloped. It doesn't seem to go indepth with the different characters. For instance I would have like to have learned a little more about the older aunt, Asha, who hallucinates about the clashes between Indian mores and Western influences. The histories of younger teenagers Madhu and Bina, as well as the abused Ginder and her husband, should have been a little more insightful.

The only aspect of the movie I really liked is the relationship between Hashida and her Jamaican boyfriend, played very well by Mo Sesay, who doesn't hesitate to show emotion towards a life altering decision.

Nonetheless, throughout the movie it can be noticed that all the...

A combination of "Joy Luck Club" and "Get On The Bus"
If there is a movie for any Westerner who is into road trip movies and interested in seeing international movies but afraid of subtitles, this is a wonderful start. The director Ms. Chadha is a great storyteller. Her tapestry of female characters, riding a bus to an amusement park to get away from the opposite sex in order to be in touch with themselves, weaves together a splendid film. The group of Indian-British women characters of various generations, professions and ages reminds me of the strong Asian women characters in "The Joy Luck Club," where the women find strength in each other by just bonding--simply spending time together. Not to say that "Beaches" and "The Color Purple" are bad examples. Those two films are great too. But it's rare to have movies about women, especially women of color with whose cultures sometimes restrict them in their goals and dreams. Even just everyday stuff like racism and sexism and male-female...

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