UnIndian

Story

UnIndian, Meera (Tannishtha Chatterjee) is an Indian immigrant living in Sydney, Australia. She is divorced from her husband and a single mother to her 10-year-old daughter, Smitha (Maya Sathi). Meera works in marketing for the Cochlear Company. Meera’s parents (Supriya Pathak and Akash Khurana) move to Australia to be near their daughter. They’re very anxious to find a suitable husband for Meera and think they’ve found the answer in Samir (Anupam Sharma), a doctor from a respectable Indian family. Meera respects her parents’ Indian traditions, but she doesn’t want to be told whom to marry. She also finds Samir both arrogant and vain.By chance Meera meets Will (Brett Lee), an average Aussie guy who teaches Australian English at the University of New South Wales. Will is captivated by Meera’s beauty. With the help of his friends T.K. (Arka Das) and Mitch (Adam Dunn), Will sets about trying to win Meera’s heart. But bridging the gap between two cultures is no easy task for Will or Meera.

Themes

Diversity and multiculturalism; immigration; family relationships and parental rights

Violence

UnIndian has some violence. For example:

Meera’s mother slaps other characters, usually as a joke.
Smitha’s father Deepak tries to abduct her and grabs her arms.
Deepak is very aggressive towards Will.

Sexual references

UnIndian has some sexual references. For example:

Meera reveals to her parents that her former husband, Deepak, is gay. Meera’s mother says that there are people in India who can cure homosexuality.
T.K. tells Will that he must abstain from sex if he wants to date an Indian woman.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

UnIndian shows some use of substances. For example, characters drink in several venues including homes and a bar.

Nudity and sexual activity

UnIndian shows some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

Will and Meera kiss passionately and have sex. Meera is seen naked in a back view from the waist up.
Will comes out in just a towel and drops it when he sees Meera’s parents (nothing is actually shown).
T.K. and Priya (one of Will’s students) kiss.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in UnIndian: Cochlear, University of New South Wales, SBS TV, Twisties and Apple computers.

Coarse language

UnIndian has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

UnIndian is a romantic comedy about a cross-cultural relationship and the hurdles the couple must overcome. In true Bollywood style, it is bright and colourful and has a worthwhile message about tolerance and integration. It also stars cricketer Brett Lee, who might be a drawcard for some teenagers.

UnIndian contains a sex scene, which is why it’s rated M. This makes it unsuitable for younger viewers. Young children might also be scared when Deepak kidnaps his daughter.

The main messages from this movie are that different cultures can live harmoniously with each other and that people should look for the positives rather than the negatives in each other and in other cultures.

You could talk with your children about Deepak’s motives for wanting to take Smitha back to India. Is it because he loves her, or is it to satisfy his own needs?