Sanjit DeSilva Movies
A high-powered sales executive struggles with his own dwindling sense of self-worth after becoming a victim to corporate downsizing. Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) has a big house, a new Porsche, a beautiful wife, and two adoring kids. When he's not in the office, he can usually be found on the golf course, perfecting his game or clinching an important business deal. But when the axe falls, Bobby and his colleagues Phil (Chris Cooper) and Gene (Tommy Lee Jones) find their necks on the chopping block, and their futures looking bleak. In order to stay afloat, Bobby reluctantly goes to work as a carpenter for his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner). But building houses is a far cry from the boardroom, and just as Bobby starts to wonder if he'll ever taste success again, he realizes that true prosperity doesn't come in the form of a paycheck, but through the satisfaction of knowing that his family will always be there to support him. Maria Bello, Craig T. Nelson, and Rosemarie DeWitt co-star in a drama from writer/director John Wells (ER). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, (more)
Two women whose peoples are often at odds find they're more alike than anyone expects in this drama from directors Stefan C. Schaefer and Diane Crespo. Rochel (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Nasira (Francis Benhamou) are two young women who have begun teaching at a public grade school in Brooklyn, NY. Rochel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is a Muslim of Pakistani descent, and the students and the administrators at the school are concerned there might be friction between the two teachers. However, over the course of their first year of teaching, Rochel and Nasira discover they have far more in common than they imagined -- both sometimes find themselves culturally out of place in 21st century New York, and both are trying to live within the traditions of their faith while struggling with their own feelings. In particular, Rochel and Nasira bond over the fact both are expected to enter into arranged marriages, Nasira with a wary optimism and Rochel with a great deal of trepidation. Arranged was screened in competition at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Zoe Lister-Jones, Francis Benhamou, (more)
- 2005
Despite overwhelming evidence, elderly Jenny Rogers (Melinda Dillon)--whom the SVU team suspects of dealing in illegal painkillers--insists that her son Kevin (Matt Schulze) is not physically abusing her. Even after Jenny's daughter-in-law Carol (Christine Elise) turns up murdered, the old woman refuses to "betray" her son. In his efforts to learn the truth behind Jenny's tragically misguided loyalty, Detective Stabler (Christopher Meloni) must also wrestle with his own domestic problems. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A feature film debut for Indian director Piyush Dinker Pandya, American Desi centers around Krishna Reddy (Deep Katdare), who calls himself Kris to escape the traditionalism of his Indian family. Desiring to be an all-American type of guy, Kris enters college with good friend Eric (Eric Axen) and begins a new world of freedom away from his protective family. As soon as he arrives on campus, he learns that he has been roomed with three Indian roommates: Jagjit (Ronobir Lahiri), a budding artist, Salim (Rizwan Manji), an old-fashioned believer in Eastern ideals, and Ajay (Kal Penn), who immerses himself in Afrocentric culture. Kris also meets a young student named Nina (Purva Bedi), with whom he falls instantly in love, but fails at first to realize that she too is Indian. An unforeseen opponent, Rakesh (Anil Kumar), threatens to separate the two, with his appreciation of the lifestyles Kris has often rejected in favor of a more American bent. Through his relationship with Nina, Kris begins to get in touch with his heritage, finding that the Western adoptions he has clung to his whole life have prevented him from discovering his true identity. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
- Starring:
- Deep Katdare, Purva Bedi, (more)
