Ravi Kapoor’s Four Samosas is little indie heist comedy that is simultaneously a scrappy, idiosyncratic affair while also a thoroughly meticulous and coordinated effort. That dichotomy plays into the overall sense of humor of the production, which feels like what happens when when a group of weirdos steal some filmmaking equipment and made their own movie. It follows a group of friends, led by Vinny (Venk Potula), who in an act of petty revenge, decides to plan a heist to steal diamonds from a safe that is held in the grocery store office of his ex-girlfriend’s father (Tony Mirrcandani).
Aside from Vinny, the aspiring rapper who also goes by “Big Boy Vin,” the group consists of Zak (Nirvan Patnaik), a lover of Bollywood cinema who aspires to be on the silver screen, Anjali (Sharmita Bhattacharya), who is described as the “under over achiever,” and also shares a mutual crush with Zak, and Paru (Sonal Shah), the “malcontent engineer” with a major chip on her shoulder and a seemingly relentless appetite for snacks. None are particularly experienced in thieving, nor are they properly equipped, and the plan is haphazardly put together. Needless to say, things don’t go particularly smooth for anyone involved.
Though, that description might make this sound more serious than it actually is. It is by far and away a total farce of a film. As goofy as it is stylish, with a visual aesthetic and presentation that feels like a deliberate homage to Wes Anderson, but with the humor that feels closer to something like the comedies of Indian filmmaker Priyadarshan, which often involved an ensemble of incompetent misfits getting themselves into situations that they have no business being involved in, only for things to blow up in their face when attempting to execute some kind of goal or plan.
As silly as the proceedings are, there is a lot of thought put into the script. The characters, even at their goofiest, do portray some greater truths and realities that speak to the experience of a lot of American desis who come from a family of immigrants, trying to carve a path of their own while trying to satisfy the expectations laid onto them by society and their loved ones. A lot of what drives the film is Vinny reconciling with his own inadequacies and slacker attitude, the same qualities that ultimately lost him Rina (Summer Bishil), who is now getting married to more successful but far more pathetic Sanjay (Karan Soni).
The film is a brisk 80 minutes long, and not much of it feels wasted. If anything, the film could have used more. More of Vinny’s strained relationship with his father, more of Vinny’s eccentric and musically…let’s just say “ambitious” cousin, Nikki (Maya Kapoor), more of what Vinny and Rina’s relationship was like outside of the two scenes where it’s described to us. The film does sometimes breeze by moments that I would have liked to see it linger on more, though I understand that it could affect the frenetic pacing that the filmmakers are going for.
The performances are pretty strong, but probably not the biggest challenge given the limited tonal scope we’re dealing with. Pretty much everyone gets a chance to shine in some way or another, I especially enjoyed Zak’s Bollywood inspired dance number that serves as a distraction during the heist’s planning phase. The biggest scene stealer for me was Bhattacharya, who at first didn’t seem like she was going to do much, but once the heist element comes into play, her commitment to the bit – which she even comments about in character at one point in the third act – is so great and delightful, I couldn’t get enough of her. I also dug the cameo from Sujata Day, the less said, the better.
Four Samosas keeps its focus tight and small on a story level, so it really flies by. Where it does go ambitious is in the visual language and the various stylistic touches that manage to translate well despite obvious budget limitations. Ravi Kapoor makes the most with his resources, and he knows how to get exactly what he needs from his cast. It’s a pretty fun time all around, and I left it with a big smile on my face. While I wouldn’t necessarily call the film a laugh riot, in fact I found most of the jokes fairly childish and cringey, when a joke or a gag does land, I would have to pause the film because I had to catch my breath before I could keep watching. So, it is a bit uneven in that regard, but in the canon of American films about the experience of the desi diaspora, this film really stands out as something genuinely interesting and authentically weird. I want to see more weird movies about us.
Four Samosas is now out in select theaters and VOD platforms.