Disgrace in New Delhi

>> Shonali Bose looks back on an ugly chapter
in Indian history in her passionate,
earnest drama Amu

by OMAR MAJEED

Indian cinema has a split personality. There’s the enormously popular, gawdy-tawdry spectacle that is Bollywood. Then there’s its polar opposite, the socially conscious film bursting with sincerity and dramatic gravitas. Movies like Bandit Queen, Deepa Mehta’s “elements” trilogy and even some of Bengali auteur Satyajit Ray’s films concern themselves with exposing the real India, the one that lurks behind the exotic facade. Films like these take on activist agendas, tackling issues like classism, religious intolerance, political corruption and poverty.

Amu, a new film by first-time Indian-American filmmaker Shonali Bose, is firmly in the latter camp. Her story revolves around Kaju (Konkona Sen Sharma), a recent UCLA graduate who is visiting India to connect with her roots. One day, Kaju ventures to her mother’s alma mater and meets a sullen rich boy, Kabir (Ankur Khanna). Together, they begin exploring New Delhi’s slum neighbourhoods and strike up a friendship with a shopkeeper and his family.

Then, the mystery begins to unfold. Kaju has always known she was adopted by her activist mother, but stories about riots in the slums 20 years prior stir questions about Kaju’s supposed backstory.

The 1984 riots mark an ugly chapter in Indian history. The assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards led to weeks of violence against the country’s Sikhs. Even worse, all levels of government, from policemen to civil servants, turned a blind eye or even played an active role in the massacre. In her film, Bose makes it clear that it’s time for India to face its national disgrace with honesty and accountability.

While this makes Amu a noble endeavour, it doesn’t necessarily make it a great film. The handful of strong performances, especially from first-time actor and real-life activist Brinda Karat as Keya, graceful direction and interesting subplots are overshadowed by clumsy exposition, occasional forays into melodrama and an overly earnest tone.

Amu’s saving grace is that the film is both passionate and heartfelt. All characters, even small ones, are allowed dignity and nuance under Bose’s sensitive direction. The relationship between Kaju and her mother, who is fearful about her daughter’s discovery of a traumatic past, is quite a touching subplot. If Amu occasionally feels heavy-handed, it is never dry or tedious. When compared to the sickly sweet concoctions of Bollywood, Amu sometimes feels like good medicine

Amu opens this Friday, Feb. 23

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