This British Asian indie from Pravesh Kumar is a big-hearted attempt at a family drama, but a stilted script leaves talented leads restrained.
★★★✰✰
In recent years, there seems to have been a string of Desi diasporic rom-coms centred around arranged marriage. Only a month ago, StudioCanal released What’s Love Got To Do With It?, a British addition to the trend. Another British entry into the oeuvre is Pravesh Kumar’s directorial debut, Little English.
Little English focuses on Simmy (Rameet Rauli), a young Punjabi bride who finds herself in Slough, locked away in her husband’s family home. Only one problem: her husband is not there. He ran away immediately after the wedding. Instead, Simmy finds herself trapped at the will of her harsh mother-in-law Gurbaksh (Seema Bowri), hostile sister-in-law Mindy (Goldy Notay) and their dementia-addled Granddad (Madhav Sharma). Seemingly her own ally is Mindy’s husband Bobby (Ameet Chana), who like Simmy, finds himself missing their homeland, and seeks to help her contact her family in the midst of Gurbaksh’s strict lockdown to protect the family’s honour.
However, everything changes when the family’s youngest son Harry (Viraj Juneja) returns home following a stint in prison. Also restricted to the house due to his parole conditions, he and Simmy find themselves stuck together and spending more and more time with each other. Despite a language barrier and a huge cultural block between them, the pair find themselves drawn to one another, growing closer as two outsiders in a family that appears so tight-knit. As romance blossoms, the family realises what’s truly important, with prejudices broken down and preconceptions shattered.
Kumar, who makes his directorial debut here, said of his hopes for the film, “It is not often British South Asian life is authentically seen through our lens. I wanted to portray contemporary experiences that offer an alternative to the stereotypical representations of our family life that we are often burdened by. There are no white saviours, and we are just as ordinary and dysfunctional as everyone else. We need more stories like this that truly reflect and represent our communities, so that we feel we too can take part.”
It is very much true that the British Asian creative team is keenly felt, and the film effectively captures many elements that will be familiar to any British Asians watching. However, whilst Kumar notes his desire to find an alternative to stereotypes, many of the characters in Little English feel like archetypes of different representations of what it means to be British Asian. Very few of them feel like real characters, all slipping into caricatures who aren’t given the screen time or story beats for well-paced and authentic character development. Where there are changes in their nature, they feel either sudden or haphazardly explained.
The exception to this is Simmy herself, who Rauli plays with real warmth and nuance. Her frustration at her situation is felt, but whilst anger bubbles it’s never overwhelming, as it’s paired with a vulnerability that is the most real aspect of the film. Simmy is the kind of character you warm to immediately, and in contrast to the melodramatic villainy of her in-laws, you can’t help but root for this hero. There is a genuine chemistry with Juneja, and the central romance is a sweet love story that viewers will easily appreciate.
The family drama in the film touches on some important ideas, including the difficulty of caring for ill relatives, racism within the South Asian community, and the pressures of maintaining family honour. However, it is hard to feel like these are given the attention required when the film also shoehorns into its runtime unnecessary side plots involving a Neighbourhood Watch, containing further archetypal supporting characters. This is not to say that none of the humour works—there are definitely moments that land, aided by the warmth of actors like Rauli and Ameet Chana (whose previous roles include other iconic British Asian films such as Bend It Like Beckham).
While the script is weak, the technical elements keep the film engaging. The film’s soundtrack, scored by Niraj Chag, is a particular highlight. It accents emotional moments well, swells as the romance does, and offers intimacy in a film that doesn’t always reach below the surface. As well as this, the cinematography, paired with simple yet effective production design, means that you feel all that Simmy and Harry feel as they are trapped within the confines of this one home. The costuming and hair and make-up is also used well, particularly in demonstrating Simmy’s development as she adjusts and warms to life in England. Little English invites you into its world, and though its narrative may slip into convenient cliches, you are keenly aware as the audience that this was never the film’s intention.
The film’s heart, and the creative team’s heart, is clearly in the right place, with a warm and prescient story about love, family expectations, and the former offering healing from the latter. Pravesh Kumar’s ideas are all there, they just struggle to fully establish themselves. Whether this is due to it being a debut or the limitations of COVID restrictions around production is unclear, but even with its flaws, the film is a cosy afternoon watch that offers a glimpse into a family’s lives.
The Verdict
The central romance and warm, affable lead performances offer something sweet in the midst of a film that struggles to find its feet. There are moments of brilliance, and the representation of British Asian experience is felt, but tendencies towards archetypes over depth leave you wanting more.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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