KAMBDI KALAAI Reviewed by I.J. Singh
E-mail: ijs1@nyu.edu
Sikhs have come a long way from the caricatures of them popularized by
Bollywood over the past 50 years. Keep in mind that Bollywood is at
this time perhaps the largest movie making enterprise in the world; more
commercial movies are made there than in Hollywood, or anywhere else for
that matter.
Punjabi characters, who are Sikh in appearance, have in Bollywood movies
served only one purpose over the years: to get a cheap laugh. The more
outrageous the character, the louder the guffaws. Punjabi movies toed a
similar line, for that’s where lay commercial success. Add to this
formula, turbaned Sikhs in clumsy roles, mega-decibel bhangra, and the
equivalent of slapstick comedy, and that was a sure-fire formula for
commercial success.
It is only in the past five years that some Punjabi movies, particularly
by Gurdas and Harbhajan Mann, have even attempted to explore issues
stemming from the large scale diaspora – matters like arranged
marriages, changing attitudes and cultural norms, dynamic shifts in
political and cultural loyalties. I should add here the very successful
movies of Gurinder Chadha in English. She has taken a very thoughtful,
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-news/9137-kambdi-kalaai-review-dr-i-j.html
yet eminently entertaining look at Punjabi culture. But the image of
Sikhism has remained largely mixed in most of these movies. I suppose
the few but small positive changes are owed substantially to the
increasing Sikh diaspora - its political muscle, its financial
prosperity, and growing awareness of its Sikh roots.
But the lot of the turbaned Sikh in movie imagery has generally remained
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=9137
where it always has been; the portrayal of Sikh themes hasn’t changed a
bit. Given this reality, Kambdi Kalaai, the latest entrant into this
genre of films, is an absolute pleasure. It is a small step in the
burgeoning movie business, but for Sikhs it is truly a giant leap
forward.
In the short space of one hour, this art film by a young moviemaker, Ish
Amitoj Kaur, probes several levels of our Sikh reality. Love and
marriage are recurring themes in life, as they are in this short movie
as well. Ish highlights the minefields of interreligious and
intercultural dating; Punjabi cultural norms, our realities in the
diaspora, how little many Sikhs, who swear by their religious label,
know of what they profess. Even the bloody events of 1984 have found
space; they deserve to, because their effects on Sikhs are going to be
lasting. How should we look at ourselves in a different cultural
reality? In other words, how to become good Americans while remaining
good Sikhs is the question; after all, these two terms are not mutually
exclusive.
Set and made in New York, the unexcelled Mecca for immigrants, Kambdi
Kalaai is a product of the Sikh diaspora. The actors in it are mostly
young amateurs. There are very few seasoned players, but
writer-director Ish Amitoj handles them with rare aplomb and a sure
touch. She has a good eye for the romantic scene without the bathos, and
for rendering conflict without becoming a tearjerker, as Indian movies
unfailingly do. In Kambdi Kalaai, recognizable (keshadhari) Sikhs occupy
center stage as main characters, for they are the story. The music and
lyrics are simply superb. The influence of Bhai Veer Singh, a legendary
iconic scholar – I would call him the preeminent public intellectual of
Sikhism – stands out.
If I have any criticism of Kambdi Kalaai, it is that there are so many
intertwined vignettes of Sikh life in it and so little time. Even the
most ordinary lives are extraordinarily complex; unraveling them demands
time and single-minded pursuit. Each theme deserves fuller treatment.
The translations of Punjabi appear as subtitles in English and it seems
to me they need some polishing at times.
This screening of Kambdi Kalaai was at the ninth annual Long Island
International Film Expo in Bellmore, New York, where independent
filmmakers submitted 155 films that were screened from July 11 to July
20; there were entries from California to New York, and from Ireland to
Israel. This was the only film on a Sikh theme. But, despite a
burgeoning Sikh community in Long Island, there were less than ten Sikhs
in the audience. I am sure for a Bollywood song and dance on celluloid,
thousands would happily stand in line. This baffles me, for
qualitatively, Kambdi Kalaai, stands heads and shoulders above many
moneymakers. And it is thought provoking; that is not an epithet that
fits the large majority of Indian movies. The entrée of a movie on a
strictly Sikh theme into an International festival of films with a host
of differing subjects by a variety of young filmmakers is a notable
milestone.
Kudos to Ish Amitoj Kaur, who wrote and directed it, are deservedly
extensive. She is young, at the beginning of her career, and shows
great promise. I am sure we will hear from her and her voice will only
become stronger and more focused.
July 21, 2006
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KAMBDI KALAAI - a Review by Dr. I J Singh 
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