I'm very fond of clash-of-culture films, especially those with an Indian element. And so this film seemed like just the sort of thing I'd enjoy. And indeed it has a very good premise: an Indian woman living in Sydney (Meera) once married and now divorced, is being set up by her parents with all manner of eligible Indian bachelors. But she falls in love with - oh horror! - an Aussie bloke.
First the good. Meera's parents are well portrayed by Supriya Pathak and Akash Khurana, with acting that is not overdone, and with just the right amount of histrionics. The formidable Binky Aunty is a small part which is played to perfection by Kumud Merali. Arka Das as TK is another standout.
But none of these can overcome the wretched woodenness of Brett Lee. The man simply cannot act. He wanders through this film with a slightly abstracted air as though he was thinking of something else ("I should've put Smitty in to bowl for the second over ... should've opened the batting with Johnno ... ") and with an expression that seems hardly to ever change. Not one for any emotion on-set; the most we get is a sort of quizzical look as though wondering whether to have jam or marmalade on his toast, and occasionally a slightly pained look, as though he was going to sneeze. It's a wonder this film ever made it past the initial pitch to its backers.
I also think that Meera was miscast - she is supposed to be quite glamorous, and Tannishtha Chatterjee's portrayal seemed lacking in glamour. Maybe she was trying to bring herself down to Brett Lee's level by being ordinary. A nice contrast was a scene in which Meera is sitting next to her friend Shanthi, played by the truly glamorous Pallavi Sharda. Why was she not chosen to play Meera?
If you can stomach the non-acting, then it's not a wholly bad film. But the good actors in it, and the story itself, deserved far far better than they got.
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