Flavors

What struck me most was the care that seem to have gone into this smart little film. A bunch of us saw this film together and we had a great time grinning at each other every time something happened on the screen that we could relate to.

I like the fact that makers were very sensible to the characters and even though none of the characters really had much time on screen, they made a very lasting impression. We still use some of those dialogs from the movie - very funny indeed!

We also spent a good chunk of time analyzing the film as to how each of those characters knew each other and I have to say it's a very good job in tying all them lose ends. Very tight!

Overall, it was a great fun film that is not just a comedy with a bunch of jokes but some very good insight, some smart screenplay and great characters.

I would rate the film as one of the most entertaining... actually THE most entertaining film in this line of Indo-US films. I've seen a handful of them and none of them even attempt to do more than a straight forward film with those age old stories on identity crisis or generation gap.

I have seen a fair share of American Indian movies and can safely state that Flavors is definitely the best of the lot. The story follows the lives of different sets of Indians in the US of A like a three jobless bachelors, a desi guy about to marry an American woman and his parents , a bored house wife and two close friends living on the opposite coasts. The film makers have shown the American life from many viewpoints. The best part of the movie was the conversations between Rachna and Kartik. It reminded me a little about of 'When Harry met Sally'. The only flaw in the movie was a slightly confusing plot which tries to follow too many characters.

Flavors is the new gold-standard for Indo-American cinema, and sets the bar *very* high. This is the most grin-, guffaw-, chuckle-, and howl-inducing film I have seen in a very long time. Directors Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru have accomplished something that I have long suspected and seldom seen - that comedy can be fast-paced, clean, heartening, and insightful without compromising the genre.

So go see Flavors for the chattiness and character-development of Robert Altman, the non-linearity and parallel storylines of Quentin Tarantino, and the quirkiness and ultimate humanity of R K Narayan. And then go see it again, this time with a shameless grin of anticipation plastered all over your mug!

Finally, after a spate of I_am_rediscovering_my_Indianness Indo American films, it was really refreshing to see one that is different. Here is a movie you will love for its raw charm, absence of stereotypes and good humor. Not just 'good' humor - 'excellent' humor I must say- I was laughing all the way. Of the four different stories that make up the film, my favorite was that of Vivek, a chocolate-faced, pathetic guy who obsesses about this girl back in India. If you are Indian, you can't help but notice how most characters resemble people you know in your everyday life. Well scripted characters and good performances. Bharti Achrekar and Anjan Srivastava steal the show. If this well-crafted feature is the debut effort of the directorial team, you bet I am going to be watching out for their upcoming releases.

Flavors was beautifully filmed, light-hearted, sweet and funny. Its leisurely pace allowed me to get to know all the characters; really, getting to know them and seeing how they develop and interact over the three weeks is the entire point of the movie. I like movies like that - think "Go!", "Barcelona", "Pulp Fiction". Also I think it does a good job of being an Indian movie, introducing Americans to the Indian perspective on living in America, while still showing situations that everyone can relate to.

The best thing about it was how light-hearted it was. It showed the humor in everything, brought out humor in everyday situations, smiled in bright sunshine the whole way through. I had a lot of fun and often laughed out loud.