Review: Tandoori Love (2008)

[Steve Rhodes]

TANDOORI LOVE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2009 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ** 1/2

TANDOORI LOVE, directed by Oliver Paulus, is a very unusual blend, as 
Bollywood comes to Switzerland.  A musical that works more often than not, 
it is a romantic comedy that doesn't fit naturally into any genre.  It's a 
cinematic melting pot that goes down as easily as the colorful Indian food 
that TANDOORI LOVE makes appear downright delicious in every single close-up 
of its preparation.

Opening with some of the most unappealing shots that I've ever seen of 
Swiss-German cuisine, the movie makes you almost sad that the local Swiss 
residents have to count on greasy pigs' feet and bloated sausages for their 
diet.  (Actually, I like Swiss food, save the pigs' feet, but I digress.)

When we meet the clueless Markus (Martin Schick), he is announcing his 
upcoming marriage to Sonja (Lavinia Wilson).  Too bad he didn't ask her in 
private first before he announced it to their friends and relatives.

One day, a film company comes into the staid and stodgy Swiss village, high 
in the mountains where the story is set.  They are there to make a 
traditional Bollywood movie, complete with lots of singing and dancing. 
With colorful costumes, they make quite a contrast to the drably dressed 
locals.

While most of the people working on the film are full of their own self 
importance, Rajah (Vijay Raaz), the lowly cook isn't.  Forming the third 
point of a love triangle, he too falls in love with Sonja.  Using a 
traditional plot format, the guys, until the end, don't realize that they 
are in love with the same woman.

Along the way, shopping and all other activities are shown to be good 
reasons to burst into song and dance, just like they do in Bollywood 
musicals.  At first, it's mainly Rajah doing the singing, but, eventually, 
the Swiss do too.  In one wacky number all their own, for example, they 
burst out singing, "Cheese and milk can be magical too." This is followed by 
the commercial worthy song lyrics of, "Chocolate makes all women melt."

As the time and the songs begin to run out, the only question left is 
whether Sonja will make the safe choice to stay in Switzerland and marry the 
handsome Markus or whether she will throw caution to the wind and follow the 
homely Rajah back to his native India.  Since this is a delightful and silly 
little fairy tale, you can probably write the ending yourself.

TANDOORI LOVE runs a quick 1:32.  The film is in German and Hindi, both with 
English subtitles and in English.

The film was shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival 
(www.Cinequest.org), which ran February 25-March 8, 2009.

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