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Movie Review: American Desi
By Ayub Khan 05/05/2001
 Desi, literally meaning "one from our land," is a term used to refer to South Asian immigrants to the U.S. and their children. Over the years, the second generation of Desis has emerged with a unique youth culture that can be described as a cross between
East and West. American Desi, a low budget English movie, is an attempt to depict the lives of young Desis and their encounters in college. Classified as a romantic comedy, the movie provides a sad commentary on the behavior of some Indo-American Muslims.
It is a story about six college freshmen, all engineering students, who are taking an introductory class together. The main character, Krishna Reddy, is a typical American kid from New Jersey who hates his heritage and wants to distance himself from everything Indian. He prefers being called 'Kris' instead of his real name. He is a perfect example of ABCD (American Born Confused Desi). To his great dismay, he finds out that all three of his roommates are Indian.
Jagjit Singh is a Sikh with artistic talents and aspirations, but he is studying engineering to fulfill his stern father's wishes. Saleem Ali Khan, a Muslim, is obsessed with an Indian film actress. He thinks that Indo-American girls are too forward; hence, not his type. Ajay Pandya is an Afro-centric Hindu homeboy.
Gautam Rao is the teacher's assistant whose comical actions combined with his extremely hard Indian accent provide lots of laughs.
All of Kris' roommates' attempts to befriend him prove futile, as he wants nothing to do with them. In the cafeteria and everywhere, he shuns them for his white friends. However, Kris has a surprise awaiting him on the first day of classes. He falls for a girl that he thinks is not Indian.
As it turns out, Nina is Indian - and proud of it. In order to woo her, Kris finally relents and turns to his roommates for help, which they are more than willing to offer. His plans to win over Nina face a roadblock with the appearance of bad boy Rakesh who seeks every opportunity to discredit him. What follows is a classic Desi style tussle between the two during their frequent run-ins.
In the sub-plot is the story of Saleem who boasts that his parents are going to find the perfect girl for him back home. In the meantime, however, his obsession with the Indian actress is so strong that he puts her poster up in his room. As much as Saleem wants to run away from American-born girls, an American-born Muslim named Farah chases him.
The producers of this movie have paid scant attention to the sensitivities of Muslims. Some of the dialogue and scenes in the movie are simply outrageous. When Kris unexpectedly shows up at an Indian club meeting, Saleem quips, "Even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) wouldn't have foreseen this." In an early morning scene, Saleem is praying when Jagjit trips over him. He continues praying but he starts talking at the same time.
In another instance, Saleem puts up the actress' poster next to Islamic calligraphy. However, the most outrageous part of the movie is the portrayal of Farah. She dresses scantily and flirts with Saleem. On Eid Day after the prayers, Saleem peeps into the women's area of the mosque (little does the director know that this would not be tolerated in any mosque. It was shocking to find out that Saleem's character is played by a Muslim, Rizwan Manji). His surprise knows no bounds when he realizes that the niqab clad (veiled) woman standing in front of him is none other than Farah.
Saleem goes to her dormitory room to apologize and the two are engaged in a heated conversation when her parents suddenly show up at the door. He hides in the bedroom, making his escape only by donning a niqab and disguising himself as Farah's friend, Mumtaz (also from India).
The film has a classic Hollywood ending - happy and complete with a dance number. It contains expletives in not only English but also Hindi.
Overall, I do not recommended seeing American Desi. While its portrayal of Muslims is somewhat exaggerated, it does reflect to a limited degree the culture of some Indian youth (Muslim and non-Muslim) born both in India as well as in America. Many of them have been constantly fed a regular diet of Hindi movies and pop culture, and many Indo-Muslim youth have been drifting away from Islamic ethos and values. Their so-called 'Indian' culture is all that distinguishes them now from everyone else.
Unless Muslim leaders take effective measures to counter this challenge, there is a high chance that many of these youth will ultimately melt away in America's melting pot or India's now boiling 'Hindu pot.'
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