Speedy Singhs – Salute The Singhs

Director: Robert Lieberman

Actors: Vinay Virmani, Russell Peters, Rob Lowe

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In 2002 Gurinder Chadha gave cinematic representation to the immigrant angst of British Indians using the metaphor of football and a girl who could ‘Bend It Like Beckham’. Another country with a sizable Indian population now gets its own version of the same in ‘Speedy Singhs’ aka ‘Breakaway’, this time with Canada’s favourite sport – ice hockey. Surprisingly this one almost pulls a ‘Bend it…’ out of its turban.

In Toranto, the son of second generation immigrant Rajveer Singh (Vinay Virmani), dreams of making it big in ice hockey. His worldly-wise father (Anupam Kher) knows better and dissuades him. Rajveer’s modern individualism clashes with the traditionalism of his father. Unwilling to either hurt his father, or give up on his dreams, no matter how impossible, he plans and all Punjabi ice-hockey team in secret.

First, let’s get the problems out of the way. Yes, it’s clichéd and very predictable. But like in life, in film the journey is more important than the destination. And this is a journey whose scenery you’ll fall in love with.

Director Robert Lieberman sets the stage for the clash of civilizations, but in a non-serious and fun manner. Thus while in ‘Bend it..’ you had a daughter having a face-off with her traditional mother, here it’s the father-son pair with bad blood running between them. And though it does not exactly reach the heights of ‘Bend it..’, quite often it does knock on its door.

The quick, witty writing delivery without much ado by the actors, keeps the fun on the go in the film. Vinay Virmani is good, but could definitely have been better. Russell Peters is his comic, nasty self. But it is the ever reliable Anupam Kher, who brings out the quite anguish of a father who loves his son but cannot come to terms with his rebellion. His believable performance that never goes over the top, sets the stage for the film.

The film, though clichéd, thankfully stays away from overusing some stereotypes, like that of the bad, white hockey player (though they are shown bad, but not physically abusive enough), or that of a typical Punjabi household in ‘Kanada’ and leaves Indian-American-English out of the brutal rape it has faced in other North American films.

Though not self-deprecating, ‘Speedy Singhs’ does not take itself seriously thus proving to be a perfect feel-good family outing. It gives the ever prominent Indian community in Canada, the cinematic space they deserve, which so far had been denied to them. 

Here’s saluting the Singhs, Akshay Kumar and everyone else who made this fun, little film possible. Let’s bring home some more.