It is a truth universally acknowledged by people in the know that when you get a bunch of immigrant desis from the length and breath of India into a single room, chaos will reign. Some would say its organized chaos, but nevertheless. Manish Acharya’s debut feature, Loins of Punjab, turns this organized chaos into a howl-arious laugh fest, thanks to an stellar ensemble cast.

Somewhere in the 29th state of India a.k.a New Jersey, the reigning king of pork loins in the North East decides the best form of advertisement for his brand of meat products is a Bollywood song and dance fest based on American Idol. A Gypsy Kings obsessed event manager is roped in (he also does funerals and naming ceremonies) and a bunch of quirky applicants get invited to a weekend that will culminate with a $25,000 cash prize and the title of Desi Idol. Hilarity ensues as each of them work on their routine to impress (and in some cases, influence) the judges in their own ways. I won’t tell you who win, but be prepared for a dose of light-hearted irony.

The star cast turns in some brilliant performances and embellish the movie. Shabana Azmi as the vampish socialite Rrita Kapoor, Ajay Naidu as the “bhangrapper” Turbanotorious BDG and Jameel Khan as the sleazy promoter (and ardent Gypsy Kings fan) Bokhade particularly stand out. Director (and co-writer) Manish Acharya shines as a numbers obsessed recently laid off MBA type. Watch out for his “Amitabh Bachchan in Shahenshah” routine, complete with dark glasses and leather jacket. Michael Raimondi does a fine impression of an Indophile aiming to win the competition with his repertoire of Hindi songs (which numbers exactly two!). Ayesha Dharker, Seema Rahmani, Ishita Sharma, Samrat Chakrabarti and Darshan Jariwala round off the cast.

Comedy routines usually depend on caricatures quite a bit to get the audience laughing and the hallmark of the better routines are their unwillingness to overdo these caricatures and instead use other plot devices to keep audiences occupied. The script (credited to Manish Acharya and Anuvab Pal) manages to achieve just this and more, thanks to what I thought was some racy editing that delivers the script on screen at a staccato pace for 90 minutes. The subject draws parallels with American Idol and other reality shows that have captured our imagination in the past few years and the overall feel of the movie reflects those vibes. As for the soundtrack, Samrat Chakrabarti and Ajay Naidu collaborate on a kick-ass “bhangrap” number, Dhol Beat, which plays over the ending credits (watch for Naidu free-styling the number during his character’s audition for the show!)

One went into this movie with quite some expectations, having heard about it first last year when it opened at SAIFF. And not only were my expectations met, but it went more than just that. This movie is genuinely funny in the context of the Diaspora. And while the actors play their parts perfectly, the real star is the script that serves its purpose without beating the audience over their heads with a message. For quite sometime, it was American Desi (and in some ways Flavors) that was the benchmark to rank desi comedies, but Loins raises the benchmark to a new level.

When asked to open the gala ending to the Desi Idol competition, the scion of the pork loins company is funnily concise as he evokes his dead father who was known to get to the point without beating around the bush. And I will try to keep my verdict on Loins short and sweet too – Go watch it!

Loins of Punjab opens in NY/NJ/CT tomorrow (Friday, September 12) at the Quad Cinema (34 West 13 Street, between 5th & 6th Ave), the ImaginAsian (239 East 59 St., between 2nd & 3rd Ave), the Columbia Park 12 Theatres (North Bergen, NJ) and at Bloomfield 8 Cinemas (Bloomfield, CT). The film opens in San Diego and Chicago on September 26, Dallas and Houston on October 10, and additional cities in the fall.

If you are interested, Manish Acharya, the director and several of the stars in the movie will be at the Quad Cinema tomorrow night to (in Manish’s own words) answer questions, shake hands, kiss babies, etc.

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