Directed by: NRI, Manish Gupta
July 2003
Indian Fish in American Waters is a film that dives
into the often murky waters of South Asian identities,
exploring what it means to be Indian on the west side
of the ocean. In this latest cross-over film, NRI,
Manish Gupta addresses common self-stereotypes of
Indians by examining the strongly polarized FOBs (Fresh
Off The Boat) and the ABCDs (American Born Confused
Desi).
Inspired by Mira Nair's honesty of expression and
Woody Allen's comedic style, Gupta wanted to create
a wholesome family movie that presented a more realistic
depiction of Indians living in the United States.
His storyline relies on the existing social divide
between FOBs and ABCDs of New York who, in Gupta's
view, rarely interact, but at the same time have formed
strong opinions of one another.
Indian Fish aims to bring these 2 groups together
through a light-hearted comedy that portrays a more
realistic characterization of first and second generation
South Asians of the same age group. The lead characters
Megha Patel (played by Shweta Malhotra) and Naveen
Reddy (played by Raj Vasudeva) are painted for the
screen without the usual stereotypical exaggerations.
Megha is an ABCD, but in this film the C stands for
compassionate, putting a positive spin on the image
of second generation South Asians. Megha is not entirely
clueless about her Indian heritage, nor does she sneak
around behind her parents' back or constantly fight
with them as FOBs might be inclined to assume. Likewise,
Naveen is the newly-arrived FOB that - despite what
his accent might indicate - is indeed tuned in to
the American social and cultural scene. After all,
technology has lent strong strains of American pop
culture via MTV and American movies into the cities
and homes of India.
Gupta describes Indian Fish as a Hollywood-style
romantic comedy, meaning the film will retain the
characteristic musical element of Bollywood movies,
but will use the music to enhance the scenes rather
than just stitch them together. In keeping with the
theme of reality rather than stereotype, Gupta has
chosen to use 8 original recordings from American
artists. Indian Fish will be premiering this summer
in cities throughout the US and India, eventually
making its way into the Canadian scene via the film
festival route.
Director Manish Gupta who currently resides in New
York City, is himself a fish in new waters as this
is his first full feature film. Having recently left
the comfort and security of his 9-5 pay cheque and
career in software sales, he is making his splash
in the film industry in an effort to pursue his long-time
passion for the arts. His previous experience includes
the production of a couple of short films as well
as formal training through the New York Film Academy.
