Far from India (2003) User Reviews

Cool movie. You better watch it.

[khansuhaib · 7/10 · 14 August 2003]

After such a long time, you see a movie, which is fresh, appealing and different from other movies. Both the actors Nitin and Talvin both tried to prove who is the best, in the end I think both did a good job.

A very powerful, moving film.

[charleswinter · 10/10 · 12 August 2003]

I am very happy and proud to have been a part of this film. It is a very powerful statement of the tragedy of a person who strives to act and to love outside the norms of both his native society and the society to which he has immigrated. Nitin's suffering is redemptive for his friend and his lover, even though he cannot save himself. I wept to think that I have been a part of something this beautiful and powerful.

Clash of Cultures

[edward_zeidman · 9/10 · 14 August 2003]

Like François Truffaut's "Jules and Jim," tells the story of two Indian men in a love triangle with an American farm girl, Chloe. As in Jules and Jim, the clash of native cultures brings many contrasts to a well told story. Many contemporary values are explored, giving us wonderful tale told by a first time director, Pepi Singh Khara.

A Flawed Piece -- Style Does Not Overcome Lack of Substance

[organization2190 · 3/10 · 19 August 2003]

I saw this film at it's international premiere at Frederick, MD's Weinberg Theater, the first public screening of the film. Far From India is far from being a great film, a tear-jerker, or a piece with depth, hope, tragedy, or any other real emotion. In fact, for a film that purports to be an emotional examination of two different value systems (i.e. traditional indian values vs. compromised americanized values), the film fails to deliver anything more than a superficial look at either value system. With the exception of Nitin Adsul and Abby Sugrue, who are both excellent in the piece, evoking real emotion, the acting in the film is amateurish and forced, more like what one would see in a student film or a community theater production. Moreover, the scenes themselves are ended far too soon, not allowing the characters to truly express what is really going on inside their heads. The dialogue between the characters needs to give the audience more credit for it's ability to understand the subtle emotions of the human psyche expressed through speech, rather than purely bludgeoning them with the type of smalltalkish conversations that should be the conversation that characters would be having BEFORE the camera starts rolling. This is one of the major flaws of the film. Mr. Khara seems to have been more focused on creating an aesthecially pleasing image for the audience rather than focusing on the issues he wishes to present. The film is very aesthetically pleasing, the director of photography utilizes the 24p format to the utmost, creating a rich, colorful world, that, especially in lower lit scenes, gives the film a beautiful look. The director of photography does tend to over-light the scenes a bit in my opinion, but he still creates beautiful imagery, which is the true saving grace of the film itself. In addition to the general cold feeling one gets from the acting in the film, the sound needs an immense amount of work. The sound mix does not match in many scenes, a problem that gives the film and amateurish, rushed feel. The folk music used in the film in cliched and derivative, and gives otherwise cold scenes an artificial sense of emotion that borders on melodrama. The largest flaw in the film however is the lack of focus within the story. Mr. Khara flip flops back and forth between his characters' problems without a clear idea of where the story is going. The characters themselves need work too, their lack of depth and dynamism creating a feeling of stagnation through the film which is tied up to quickly and neatly at the end, which is evident with the return of Nitin's roommate Talvin to India, and the 180 degree turn of the theater director from hating Talvin, a theme carefully cultivated throughout the film, to admiring and respecting him in the space of 15 minutes. Overall, it would seem that Mr. Khara needs to watch more films to become more familiar with the language of filmmaking itself. It is a good accomplishment to finish a film, however, the story that Mr. Khara wants to tell has the potential to be very deeply emotional, and the way he has presented it glosses over much of the emotion and addresses some of the more touchy issues in a way that is cliched and superficial (i.e. the character of Chloe's father, the beating up of Nitin in a public bathroom). In the end, the film's style fails to transcend it's lack of substance, a flaw that is death to any movie without the raw emotional or character depth to keep a viewer interested for 95 minutes.

a movie worth seeing for those far from home

[deaudain · 12 August 2003]

Far From India truly captured the main character's experience with his world outside of India. Nitin's character juxtaposed with that of Talvin's showed not only their struggle as two men from the same country with different ideals, but also the struggle of many who come to America to pursue a dream and is faced with every day ordinary obstacles from love or lack there of to racism and the pursuit for individualism and identity.

There are parts of the movie that seem to linger a bit too long, but they are quickly followed by scenes that cause you to cry and laugh at the same time. And you'll never expect the surprise ending. A definite must see.