American Chai (2001)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The movie was way too trite. Predictable identity questions. No imagination. What bothered me the most was the main actress's dancing. In the movie, she is supposed to be a very talented dancer. However, in a very uninspiring and way-too-long dance performance sequence, her moves offer a very poor representation of the exciting Indian-American fusion dance scene.

I must say that I hold the (maybe not so) unique position of being a first generation American, born to Indian parents. Given the situation, I can probably relate to this particular movie a little more than your average moviegoer.If you took this film off the reels, added in some commercials, and shortened it to an hour, I could have practically submitted it to A&E as my own personal Biography. I think this serves as a compliment to the Mehta brothers for their believable portrayal of individuals in my situation. Sure, some of the events that transpire may be a little melodramatic, but I don't think that they are enough so to significantly detract from the movie experience.If you want to go see American Chai, be sure to bear in mind that this movie is clearly targeted at Indian American audiences, particularly American-born Indian Americans. Several scenes in this movie had me doubled over in laughter, while the rest of the audience stared at me like I was crazy. This is not to say that the other members of the audience were disappointed with the movie; I just felt that I was in a position to better understand the finer points of the film, and as a result I walked away with a greater appreciation for what American Chai tried to accomplish.What DID American Chai try to accomplish, you ask? I feel that this movie was made to light-heartedly examine the internal struggle that affects all first generation offspring, using Indian Americans as a model. Overall, I would say that the movie succeeds at its mission, despite some rough spots here and there. For a debut production, the pacing, cinematography, and script are all well above average. All characters are well portrayed, with highlights being Aasif Mandvi as Engineering Sam and Paresh Rawal as Sureel's Dad.Bottom line: If either you or a close friend of yours is a first generation Indian American, you absolutely must see this movie. 10/10. Otherwise, this is just another romantic comedy. 6/10. Put those two together, and you get an overall average of 8/10.

entertaining movie that falls short of being the movie that it could've been, but i must applaud the effort. of the three "indian americans growing up" stories (american chai, american desi, abcd), i would rank this in the middle. though chai may have had the best cinematography, the low budget american desi was still the most entertaining. if there were a more charismatic hero chosen than aalok mehta to play sureel, the film as well as the relationship between him and the drop-dead gorgeous sheethal sheth would have been not only more compelling but infinitely more believable. though i must concede that the recurring theme "all things indian are not bad" was well developed, especially in its culmination when ajay naidu's character took in a drunk sureel and let him see what he was all about. good try.

I attended this film recently at the Wisconsin Film Festival, and I can't recommend it enough! It's about an Indian-American college senior who must finally confess to his traditional Indian parents that he's a music major, not pre-med like they'd thought. While coming to grips with the truth, he discovers love AND an awesome new sound. The dialogue is incredibly witty-- I laughed out loud multiple times, as did the rest of the audience. Writer and first-time director Anurag Mehta shows tremendous promise. Lead actor Aalok Mehta's music is beautiful; I am eagerly awaiting the soundtrack to be released. The supporting performances are also fantastic: Paresh Rawal is perfect as the overbearing father, and Aasif Mandvi's (Engineering Sam) comic timing is impeccable. A great choice for all ages and all cultural backgrounds.