Hitting theaters tomorrow is the dramedy For Here or To Go?, written and produced by Rishi S. Bhilawadika, directed by Rucha Humnabadkar and featuring Ali Fazal, Amitosh Nagpal, Omi Vaidya, Melanie Kannokada, Rajit Kapur, and Samrat Chakrabarti.
This very important and timely film shines a light on the many personal battles faced by legal Indian immigrants living in America, including the struggles to get and keep H1-B visas, being granted a green card and how it is hard for them to be able to feel connected as citizens in the US because they don’t know if they are going to stay or go.
The film tells the story of Young Silicon Valley software engineer Vivek Pandit (Ali Fazal) who is poised to become a key hire at a promising healthcare startup, but when they realize his work visa has less than a year remaining, the offer disappears. Having learned the hard way about the flaws in his “it’s just paperwork” mentality, Vivek battles forces beyond his control to get his visa extended, whether at his existing company or a new job. Along the way, his eyes open to the similar struggles of his own roommates and those around him. American in mind and Indian at heart, this is a contemporary story of ambition and ambivalence fueled by one’s immigration status that characterizes the dilemma of modern cultural displacement.
The outstanding performances by the three roommates Ali Faizal, Amitosh Nagpal, and Omi Vaidya are what make this film.
Ali Fazal is wonderful as Vivek, portraying the almost ennui, the confusion, the frustration, the love (he is oh so cute in love) and every emotion this character goes through is completely real and true. You never feel as if he is acting. There is so much said through his eyes as well as in his lines. Sometimes you do wish he had more spark, but I think that is the character and the story not his acting. He is one of the best things in the film.
Amitosh Nagpal is brilliant. I kept getting frustrated and mad at Amit, he is exasperating because of the problems he causes and his complete unawarness of what his actions can do and have done. He is an innocent and just trying to live his life but he creates big trouble. Your annoyance at him is a testament to the actor’s talent and total commitment to the role. He takes the movie up a notch with his fabulous performance.
Omi Vaidya is another high note in the film. Omi always has this way of putting little touches to his characters that round out and make them believable and real. He was wonderful in this character in his happiness, his sadness and just being who he really is.
Unfortunately, in the case of Melanie Kannokada she did not play her part well. She had some good moments, but overall you felt as if you were watching someone play a character instead of being Shveta.
The rest of the cast was fine but not really noteworthy and felt more like actors instead of people in this world and that distracted from the tale.
I do have to give special praise for Ashok Tangri who played the shop owner character Satpal Singh. He is superb. In fact, his small scene is one of the moments that first come to mind when I think of this film.
Although For Here or To Go? moves at a slower pace it sort of echoes how Vivek lives and reacts to his life and the limbo he is in, which is a very interesting and effective technique. At other times you literally feel the characters nervousness, frustration, confusion, anger, being totally lost in their world and even being happy which really amps up the narrative. The experiences of all the people in the film really is the essence of this story and is what makes this movie good and keeps you interested.
The direction at times hits great notes, but at other times it is heavy handed and can be seen instead of felt. You can see when the director told the actors okay, stop, talk and slowly put on your coats – is that the fault of the director or actors? I don’t know. Both in terms of direction and screenplay there are some fine moments especially with some of the scenes between the roommates but it had some parts that felt off and did not present the story well.
One of the most disconcerting things is the mix of the Hindi and English. I do understand that this is reality, but as a viewer it made it very difficult to follow. It switched too much between the two and too quickly. If you are not used to hearing this, it is very hard and frustrating to understand what they are saying and it has nothing to do with accents. I had trouble understanding the Hindi and the English and I have had a lot of exposure to it. It was a disservice to the film.
Oh the Bollywood number… a cool concept that should have played well especially to a Bollyfan like me but it did not work. It was out of place and oddly done. Not really a flash mob, not really a musical interlude and not Bolly-ish. So not good and should have been left on the cutting room floor.
The hardest part of watching this film is realizing that this is what many Indian immigrants go through in the US from the utter unhelpfulness of employers, to the ridiculousness and idiotic actions of the FBI officials – everything these people go through just to stay and do good work. It is maddening. The confusion, instability and at the same time the hope that their lives will be okay is really served by this film.
Is this a film that should be seen yes, especially because of the content and particularly in today’s political climate in the US. As Omi Vaidya said perfectly in his interview with me, “It’s super important to see the struggles of young ambitious, caring immigrants. To understand their stories and not just villainize them as ‘the other.’ These restrictions and travel bans not only affect immigrants but America’s ability to get the best talent and stay ahead of the competition.”
For Here or To Go, is a movie I think everyone should watch. People need to realize, to know and see and then act.
I had a hard time rating this film so am going with a 3 because there were some problems, with the caveat that the topic and the performances by the three lead males deserve a 4!
