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Dazed and confused in America

1/ 1/2003

'Leela', directed Somnath Seth, starring Dimple Kapadia, Vinod Khanna and Amol Mhatre, soon to be released

LEELA is more Hollywood than Bollywood with a daring relationship at the centre of the story. Not entirely accidental as first-time director and former cameraman, Somnath Sen, was raised in America and steeped himself in its movie culture.

But his debut starts in India with a woman, played Dimple Kapadia, facing a crisis in her life. Her only confidant, her mother, has just died, leaving her alone with a philandering husband.

She makes a big break for it by deciding to move to America where she teaches Indian studies at a college. There she comes across young college boy Krishan, played by new actor Amol Mhatre. He calls himself Kris and suffers from an identity crisis knowing almost nothing about his cultural heritage.

Like any other American boy, Kris spends most of his spare time playing basketball with his buddies and going to the pictures etc. Living at home with his single westernised career focused mum is not a problem for him till he finds out she's sleeping with an American man.

Leela is friends with Kris's mum, but, that relationship is soon jeopardised when Kris leaves home for the arms of Leela. All the characters are gripped by uncertainty and confusion and the arrival of Leela's husband do not improve matters.

Then things take a distincter turn for the worst when Kris's real father turns up and does not approve of his relationship with an older woman.

Leela is funny, sad, very realistic and a movie which most adults will relate to. It examines just how difficult it can be to balance different cultures.

Director Sen says: "I grew up watching the usual Bollywood movies as well as the mainstream American movies, so this film is a mixture of both with the Asian Americans in mind of course."

The preview audience gave Leela 10 out of 10 for it's witty treatment of sex, entertaining music (by Jagjit Singh) and its unusual focus on moral values.