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Director: Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Cast: Jimi Mistry, Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei, Ajay Naidu, Rahul Singh, Sanjeev Bhasker, Michael Mckean, Dash Mihok, Emil
Marwa.
 It's a typical Indo-American venture taking a tongue-in-cheek look at obsession for Indian mysticism, spirituality and Godmen; and specially the Indian obsession for making it big in America. Shot in New Delhi and New York, the story idea was conceived by co-producer Shekhar Kapur, based on his experiences when he first set foot in London. The production team and the cast are a blend of the technicians and stars from India, U.S., & U.K.
 Jimmy Mistry, the U.K. based Indian actor (who has acted in 'East is East'), plays the role of Ramu Gupta, a young Indian dance teacher (with a strong accent even before he has set foot in the U.S!) who sets out to the U.S. dreaming of making it big there. Staying with three of his Indian friends, he joins them as a waiter in an India restaurant.
His passion for acting lands him with a unit that shoots pornographic films. His inability to 'do it' however gets him out fast enough.
 But not before he meets the exotic porn star Sharonna. Sharonna who pretends to be this prim school teacher to her 'respectable' boy friend,
advices Ramu on 'performing with the mind', but to no avail. Sharonna's advice comes in handy when he is pushed in to substitute for a drunken swamiji at a Swanky Manhattan party. The spoilt-rich-brat of the house, Lexy, takes an upswing with fame and money his for the asking. Frequent trips to Sharonna for more tips, and Ramu finds himself falling head-over-heels in love with her. But Sharonna is to be wed to her boy-friend. The ending is the typical Hindi film one.
 Jimmy Mistry plays with panache the simple man transformed to a sex Guru, and trying to come out of the mess he has inadvertently landed himself in. Heather Graham (of 'Austin Powers') is lovable and endearing whether she's playing the porn queen, the 'respectable'
fiancé, while mouthing sexual profundities to Ramu, or doing the typical Hindi film dance in her Ghagra-choli. And so is Marisa Tomei as the rich brat, taking to the sex-guru in a big way, and sponsoring him all around her circle of socialites.
It's a colourful, crazy, wacky comedy, that takes an amusing potshot at both the Indians' obsession for the West, and vice versa; hilarious in many sequences, tongue-in-cheek in others.
Malini Mannath
published on 4th Dec 2002
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