Sanjeev Bhaskar Movies
Directed by Metin Huseyin, Anita & Me follows the development of a cross-cultural friendship between 12-year-old Indian immigrant Meena (Chandeep Uppal) and her 14-year-old British neighbor, Anita (Anna Brewster). An aspiring writer, Meena (Uppal) writes down all the challenges of her new life in great detail, from her parents insistence that she focus solely on her studies, to the vast cultural differences between Britain and India. The most notable subject, however, is the comfort she finds from her unlikely friendship with Anita. Anita & Me is based on a novel by Meera Syal, who also penned the screenplay. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kabir Bedi, Max Beesley, (more)
- 2001
A combination sitcom, talk show, and improv comedy experiment, this BBC2 staple follows the exploits of an idiosyncratic Indian family living in London who turns its back garden into a soundstage and launches a chat show. Sanjeev Bhaskar leads the cast as deluded host Sanjeev Kumar, an ignorant layabout who fancies himself a suave celebrity. Fellow Goodness Gracious Me veteran Meera Syal portrays his frisky grandmother, while Indira Joshi and Vincent Ebrahim play his long-suffering parents. Each episode, two or more real-life celebrities arrive to chat with Sanjeev and field less-than-professional questions from his family; frustration and embarrassment abound on all sides. Over the numerous full seasons and specials that have aired since 2001, the Kumars have played host to Hollywood celebrities such as Minnie Driver and Patrick Stewart and more U.K.-centric stars such as Richard E. Grant and Ismail Merchant. Other memorable guests have included '60s pop singer Lulu, ex-Spice Girl Emma Bunton, and the cast of long-running British soap opera EastEnders. In addition to airing stateside on BBC America, The Kumars at No. 42 has spawned a U.K. number-one hit in the form of a comic relief single with pop star Gareth Gates. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sanjeev Bhaskar, Indira Joshi, (more)
A South London gangster emerges from three years in prison and becomes a bodyguard for a famous actress, only to be sucked back into the shady underworld by a ruthless crime lord in this gritty crime drama starring Colin Farrell. Mitchel (Farrell) served his time in Pentonville Prison. Now that he's a free man, he's determined to keep it that way. His resolve not to fall back on his criminal past is weakened, however, when his longtime friend Billy (Ben Chaplin) offers him a place to stay in exchange for help with a quick and dirty job. But just as it seems like the past won't let Mitchel go, a promising new opportunity arises; high-profile actress Charlotte (Keira Knightley) is hiding out from the paparazzi in a Holland Park mansion, and she needs a man who can help keep them at bay. Little does Charlotte realize that Billy has set his sights on her classic cars and valuable art collection, and that Mitchel is the only thing preventing him from robbing her blind. But just as Mitchel and Charlotte fall in love and make plans to move to Los Angeles, notorious mob heavy Gant (Ray Winstone) presents the cunning ex-con with an offer he can't refuse: Gant wants Mitchel in his gang, and he won't take no for an answer. Before Mitchel can flee, Gant has got him under his thumb, revealing that Mitchel will die before he ever has a chance to take flight. Upon realizing that any refusal to follow Gant's orders will endanger not only himself, but his sister Briony (Anna Friel) and Charlotte as well, Mitchel prepares to strike back with a vengeance. Consequences be damned, Mitchel will do whatever it takes to protect the ones he loves, and prove that no man owns him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keira Knightley, Colin Farrell, (more)
A visitor from the mysterious East arrives in New York -- not to offer the wisdom of the ages, but to make it big as a dancer in this "fish-out-of-water" comedy. Ramu Chandra Gupta (Jimi Mistry) grew up in India on a steady diet of movie musicals, particularly local Bollywood spectaculars and vintage American song-and-dance films. Ramu grew up with the dream of one day making it big as a dancer, and in time he found a job as a dance instructor. However, Raimu believes his destiny lies in the United States, and he leaves India behind to relocate to New York City. Unfortunately, Ramu's bright new future isn't exactly awaiting him, and he's soon sharing an overstuffed apartment with distant relatives in Queens while working in an Indian restaurant. An audition for a film director named Dwain (Michael McKean) turns out to be a tryout for a porno movie -- a role Ramu does not get when he fails to rise to the occasion. However, he does make the acquaintance of one of Dwain's "starlets," Sharona (Heather Graham), with whom he soon finds himself infatuated. Ramu gets a job entertaining guests at a party catered by his relatives when the performer originally booked is incapacitated. While Ramu's Bollywood-style dancing goes over well enough, he makes a deeper impression on Lexi (Marisa Tomei), an enthusiastic but half-bright student of Eastern philosophy who regards Ramu a font of wisdom as well as a hot date. Ramu quickly becomes the toast of New York's upper crust, and scores an agent, Josh (Rob Morrow), but how long will it be before folks realize Ramu is rather low on the enlightenment scale? And can he find happiness with Sharona while Lexi is still in the picture? The Guru also features Christine Baranski and Malachy McCourt. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei, (more)
- 2010
- PG13
A devoted Indian mother resorts to murder in hopes of helping her pleasantly plump daughter find a husband, but discovers that her plan is far from perfect when the spirits of her victims return to haunt her in this supernatural comedy from writer/director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). Mrs. Sethi is an aging widow whose greatest fear is that her beloved daughter, Roopi (Goldy Notay), will wind up alone. Frustrated at the repeated rejection she's forced to endure while attempting to find Roopi a respectable husband, Mrs. Sethi cooks up a lethal curry and serves it to anyone who turns her daughter away. Though the overprotective mother feels completely justified in her crimes, her situation takes a turn for the bizarre when her victims come back to reveal that they can only be reincarnated after their killer is laid to rest. Initially elated at the thought of a reunion with her late husband, Mrs. Sethi realizes that she can't take the final plunge until Roopi is happily married. With the police closing in fast, the restless spirits agree to help her find Roopi a husband so that everyone can live happily ever after. Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes) and Mark Addy co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shabana Azmi, Goldy Notay, (more)
Take a trip to the North Pole and discover exactly how Santa Claus makes Christmas magic happen every year in this imaginative comedy for the entire family. Produced by Aardman Features in association with Sony Pictures Animation, this fun-filled holiday film introduces viewers to Santa's mischievous son Arthur, who races to complete an important mission in time to ensure that this year's Christmas celebrations will go off without a hitch. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, (more)
Ismail Merchant, best known as the producing half of the successful Merchant-Ivory team, once again steps behind the camera as director for this story of life among Indian expatriates in the 1950s. Ganesh (Aasif Mandvi) is a young man who was born to a community of Indian exiles living in Trinidad. Always bright, Ganesh hopes to make a career for himself as a writer, but he lacks the money to pursue writing full-time, and his ideas about education clash with those of his employers after he gets a job as a teacher, leaving him with few prospects. Returning to Trinidad after the death of his father, Ganesh is pressured into marrying a local woman named Leela (Ayesha Dharker), whose father, Ramlogan (Om Puri), is a successful merchant. Ganesh and Leela move to a modest home in the hills, where he begins work on a book, but Leela chafes at the Spartan lifestyle dictated by Ganesh's finances, and for a time leaves their home to stay with her parents. In time, Ganesh completes his first book -- a book for lay people on the Hindu faith -- but sales are sluggish until Ganesh and Leela come up with a plan to boost interest in Ganesh's work. Ganesh is promoted as a "Mystic Masseur" with special powers to heal the infirm; Ganesh's routine quickly makes his work very popular with spiritual seekers, and his book becomes a top-seller. However, Ganesh becomes disillusioned with his newfound fame and power, especially after he attempts to take advantage of his celebrity by entering the political arena. The Mystic Masseur was based on a novel by V.S. Naipaul, who won an Nobel prize in the year of this film's release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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