It
set
me
thinking
as
reel
after
reel
of
Gurinder
Chadha's
It's
A
Wonderful
Afterlife
unspooled.
We
(the
Bollywood
reviewers/critics)
are
extremely
harsh
on
films
produced
on
hometurf.
We
go
hammer
and
tongs
after
these
film-makers,
as
if
they
have
committed
a
crime
that
they
cannot
be
absolved
of.
We
tend
to
ridicule
films,
its
makers,
the
actors
in
those
films…
In
fact,
just
about
everyone
associated
with
those
films.
How
about
using
the
same
yardstick
for
movies
attempted
by
names
that
command
tremendous
respect
in
the
West?
We
forgive
them,
most
of
the
time.
We
even
turn
a
blind
eye,
ignoring
the
deficiencies
only
because
the
West
holds
them
in
high
esteem.
The
thought
crosses
our
mind
pretty
often:
Wouldn't
we
come
across
as
complete
nincompoops
if
we
ridiculed
them,
even
if
they
turn
up
with
pure
trash?
I
am
not
going
to
mince
words.
With
It's
A
Wonderful
Afterlife,
celebrated
filmmaker
Gurinder
Chadha
hits
a
new
low.
It
actually
makes
me
wonder,
was
Bend
It
Like
Beckham
a
fluke?
It's
A
Wonderful
Afterlife
is
so
insipid
and
hollow
that
it
makes
her
previous
film
Bride
&
Prejudice,
considered
by
many
as
her
weakest
film,
look
like
an
epic
in
comparison.
Final
word?
It's
A
Wonderful
Afterlife
had
everything
going
in
its
favour.
But
let's
not
forget
that
great
vegetables
don't
necessarily
make
a
yummy
meal.
This
Gurinder
Chadha
curry
is
just
not
palatable!
Mrs.
Sethi
(Shabana
Azmi),
a
widow,
can't
bear
the
thought
of
her
daughter
being
alone
and
unhappy.
When
Mrs.
Sethi
can
no
longer
stomach
the
rudeness
of
families
who
refuse
her
daughter,
she
takes
matters
into
her
own
hands
with
the
only
way
she
knows...
Suddenly
a
police
hunt
begins
for
a
serial
murderer.
Mrs.
Sethi
doesn't
feel
too
guilty
until
the
spirits
of
her
victims
come
back
to
haunt
her,
as
they
are
unable
to
be
reincarnated
until
their
murderer
dies.
Mrs.
Sethi
has
no
problem
killing
herself
-
she'll
get
to
see
her
dead
husband
again
-
but
how
can
she
go
before
her
daughter
is
married?
The
spirits
realize
that
helping
Mrs.
Sethi
find
a
suitable
husband
for
her
daughter,
before
the
police
catch
her,
is
their
only
chance
for
a
wonderful
afterlife.
On
paper,
perhaps,
the
story
of
It's
A
Wonderful
Afterlife
may
sound
tempting
and
alluring.
At
least
I
found
it
attention-grabbing
when
I
first
heard
it,
several
weeks
ago.
But
sitting
through
those
1.40
hours
of
this
cinematic
journey
is
an
ordeal.
Seriously,
what
were
writers
Chadha
and
Paul
Mayeda
Berges
thinking
when
they
wrote
the
screenplay?
Barely
a
few
minutes
into
the
film,
you
realize
that
Chadha
has
lost
the
plot
already.
To
state
that
the
screenplay
is
shoddy
would
be
putting
it
mildly.
The
only
aspect
that's
amusing
and
which
bears
the
unmistakable
stamp
of
Chadha
are
the
sequences
between
Shabana
and
the
spirits.
The
love
story
is
a
total
yawn,
while
the
emotional
moments
are
weak
and
the
investigation
of
the
murders
is
half-baked
too.
In
fact,
an
investigating
officer
gets
killed
in
the
backyard
of
Shabana's
home
and
guess
what,
the
crime
is
conveniently
forgotten,
except
when
Senthil
talks
about
it
to
Shabana.
And
why
the
beaten
to
death
'cancer'
end?
Gurinder
seems
to
be
watching
too
many
(terrible)
Bollywood
films,
seems
like.
Talking
of
performances,
Shabana
is
dependable,
as
always.
Goldy
Notay
as
Shabana's
daughter
is
efficient.
Sendhil
Ramamurthy
is
alright.
Jimi
Mistry
doesn't
get
ample
scope.
Sally
Hawkins
is
first-rate.
Mark
Addy
is
passable.
Sanjeev
Bhaskar
is
wonderful.
Shaheen
Khan
and
Zoe
Wanamaker
(Shabana's
next-door-neighbour)
are
decent.
On
the
whole,
this
one's
a
woeful
experience,
not
wonderful
by
any
standard!
Director
-
Gurindher
Chadha
Cast
-
Shabana
Azmi,
Shaheen
Khan,
Goldy
Notay,
Sally
Hawkins,
Sendhil
Ramamurthy,
Sanjeev
Bhaskar,
Zoe
Wanamaker