User Reviews

Watching Umrika at the VIFF this year has made up for the disastrous Beeba Boys. After getting a lot of critical acclaim in the festival circuits I was very intrigued to watch Umrika, but at the same time I was a little wary that the film might end up being a very indie artsy pseudo intellectual film. But thankful Umrika stayed very faithful to its subject, and showing a very realistic India. Umrika highlighted how poverty is in India,how people struggle to make ends meet, and how parents invest heavily in there children for a better future in a very realistic manner.Umrika's main crux is of how Indians, and especially those of the lower/middle population look up to America as place where lives are made, and how if one makes it to America its a dream come true for a working Indian. Dealt in a very simplistic, but detailed manner, Umrika tugs ones heart strings, and makes people realize how privileged we are. It also must be said that Umrika is film were the main protagonist is not on selfish mission but he is just trying to make his mother happy(like his father) but more on that later.

Story wise the film is a about a boy named Udai who in the beginning of the film is leaving for Umrika( aka America) his parents are very proud especially his mom who's dream is coming true, he has young brother named Ramakant who is too young to realize what is going on. Udai's family is a very poor one, and they live off what they make daily. Udai's moms only solace was in the letters he would send from the US, and whenever he would forget to send a letter she would trouble the household. Eventually years pass Rama is in his late teens, and after his father dies in a accident, he finds out while inspecting his fathers belonging that his dad was sending letter on the behalf of his brother. Dumbfounded Rama, starts wondering what happened to his brothers all these years, he then making some excuse to his newly widowed mothers goes to the city to find out the truth of Udai. What happened to Udai, and where he is now forms the rest of the plot.

Acting wise the film boasts of many good performances, but Suraj Sharma of Life of Pi fame steals the show the with a great mature and restraint performance. Smitha Tambe leaves a heavy impact in her mother act and Rajesh Tailang is also very good. It was also nice to see Prateik Babbar in special appearance.

Umrika doesn't really have any major negatives bogging down the film. But the minor issues I had with the film is that I found the film pretty predictable, whatever twists or surprises the film had I could guess them miles away, so the film lost a bit of its novelty for me.I also found that at times I was missing a emotional connect with the characters, therefore even in the saddest scene I was left dull at times.But all minor blemishes aside the film works for many more reasons. The film is set in 70-80s India, and everything around the setting is pitch perfect. Whether it be the clothes, the dialect, the houses etc everything felt very real and raw. The films screenplay is very engaging, and Umrika is probably one of the most realistic films when it comes to portraying India, in thought, and in setting. And I'd like to highlight that the mother characters,and the way she is towards her children, and family etc is spot on.

Overall I have seen many films on similar subjects like Umrika, but this film is a very different take, on the obsession to go to America. I found the film high enjoyable and real, but for the right audience, aka a western audience the film can open there horizons, and enlighten them about a true part of India.

3.5/5* or 7/10

Independent films have stories to tell. Hence, it is always a better idea to watch and support such movies. This emotional drama talks about the cultural gap between two countries, or more specifically, between two maddeningly diverse countries.

Ramakant (Suraj Sharma) lives with his mother and father in a small village in India. After his elder brother, Udai (Prateik Babbar), left for the great America, the village lights up with stories and rumors about the Western country. Udai's mom almost goes mad with pride sliding on the verge of vanity, leaving Ramakant to think of only good things about his brother. Although a little late, Udai's letters arrive at the village, and are read by everyone with pomp and circumstance. Few months pass by and Udai's family, now reduced to two after the sudden death of the patriarch, begin to panic as there is no news from the man who brought them pride. Money was never the issue because it never used to come, but what about the letters? A suspicious Ramakant leaves his ailing mother in the village and sets out in search of his brother who was helped by a distant uncle...

Within the first ten minutes, one will know that there is heart in the film. If not for only monetary purposes, one understand that the film is made to induce emotions. It has an interesting plot which has only been seen before in Malayalam films (as per my knowledge, but I could be wrong), where the story moves forward with the help of letters that Udai used to send back home. Or did he? Well, that is what Ramakant intends to find out. His journey to the city is purely reminiscent of the 80s and 90s when in a city like Bombay, people used to arrive with dreams without even a job in place for starters. The good old hustling for money and hesitating to talk to that girl. It shows the developmental differences between India and the USA: the eating habits, et al, added into the screenplay with pinch of humor and sarcasm. It is also delightfully fun to watch these sequences unfold, with some of the best being the characters' interpretations about the American life.

The climax is where the emotional tinge chugs at your heart; concluding that mothers, no matter what, just want their sons and daughters to be happy. Nothing more. Arguably, the best thing that works here is Dustin O'Halloran's nonchalant score, which perfectly drives the sequences. Although the second half is duller and slower than the first, a drama-lover wouldn't mind sitting through the 100 minutes. The finality is pretty obvious and that takes the cherry out of this pie which could have used a little more icing if not more dough.

Sharma is decent as the hapless younger brother who is both proud and jealous of his brother. His eyes are enough to make you understand the character. Babbar and other supporting cast are also fine in the respective roles. The actress who plays Ramakant's love interest definitely takes a prize, though. The capturing of Bombay is not that great, but still works for the flow of the film. Cinematography and direction are fine.

BOTTOM LINE: Prashant Nair's "Unrika" is a nicely-made drama film about a family and their uncommon problems. An afternoon watch will be enough. Rent a DVD!

Can be watched with a typical Indian family? NO