NEW YORK: The hit South Asian comedy film, 'Loins of Punjab Presents' is hitting theaters in the US this September. Emerging Pictures announced Manish Acharya's feature directorial debut will make its US theatrical premiere on Sept 12 at New York City's Quad Cinema and the ImaginAsian Theater.
The film goes on to open throughout the fall in cities around the country including: San Francisco and San Jose, CA; Chicago, IL; Union City, New Jersey; Connecticut; and Dallas and Houston, TX. American Idol, step aside - at least for the singers showcasing their talents in the three-day New Jersey-based, Bollywood-inspired Desi Idol competition, sponsored by local butcher company Loins of Punjab. The finalists competing for the $25,000 prize represent the South Asian diaspora through a delightfully eclectic cross-section of would-be superstars:
There's high school over-achiever Preeti Patel, whose entire over-bearing family accompanies her, proudly wearing "Preeti Patel #1" t-shirts; actress Sania Rahman, who has big Bollywood dreams despite not speaking a word of Hindi; foul-mouthed bhangra rapper Turbinotorious BDG, together with his gay lover/backup singer; recently down-sized middle-aged businessman with the unfortunate name Saddam Hussein; awkward Vikram Tejwani (played by director Acharya himself), obsessed with both statistics and Amitabh Bachchan; white Jewish yoga/jogging enthusiastic and lover of all things Indian, Josh Cohen; and ruthless philanthropist Rrita Kapoor, willing to use uncharitable means to win the competition so that she can donate the prize money to show up her rival, Bubbles Sabharwal.
Will Kapoor's scheming lead her to claim the grand prize? Will Preeti Patel make her family proud and emerge as #1? Does a non-desi like Josh Cohen stand any chance at all? And will love blossom between any of the contestants? The rousing finale will answer all these questions and will bring you to your feet at the same time.
Following the familiar trajectory of singing competition shows, but with a deadpan humor perfectly fitting its small-town, New Jersey hotel conference room setting, Loins of Punjab Presents is a sly, guilty pleasure, sending up the kitsch shared by both Bollywood and American Idol, where celebrity dreams can be just one catchy performance away.
A novel take on South Asian culture, the film comically and affectionately embraces the quirks of diasporic identity and family. Manish Acharya's characters resonate beyond simple caricatures, reflecting types common to all ethnic communities in America - from the quiet student to the militant nationalist, from the well-to-do socialite to the white wannabe enamored with otherness.
Placed together in a Christopher Guest-like film setting, these characters and their endearing foibles emerge with truth and humor, and are sure to gain fans from American Idol, Bollywood, and beyond.
The film stars Shabana Azmi , Ajay Naidu, Ayesha Dharkar, Darshan Jariwala, Seema Rahmani, Jameel Khan, Ishita Sharma, Michael Raimondi and Manish Acharya.
The #1 English language comedy ever to open in India, Loins of Punjab Presents has screened and garnered prizes at international film festivals including: New York's First Run Film Festival (Winner Best Feature Film); New York's 2007 South Asian International Film Festival (Opening Night Film); 2007 San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival; Rome's 2007 AsiaticaFilmMediale (Special Jury Mention); Denmark's 2008 NatFilm Festival, Copenhagen; 2007 Dubai International Film Festival; and the 2008 Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (Audience Award for Best Feature).
Mumbai-based writer/director/actor Manish Acharya left a background in physics, computer science, and industrial relations to pursue his film dreams at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
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