UNINDIAN (U/A)
Director: Anupam Sharma
Cast: Brett Lee, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Supriya Pathak, Gulshan Grover, Pallavi Sharda
Running time: 110 minutes
I have never been much of a cricket fan, but I do have a thing for cute cricketers. And when you say “cute” and “cricketer” in the same breath, then Brett Lee just has to make the list (okay, ex-cricketer!). The Australian pacer, one of the fastest bowlers to have played the game and a permanent member of the record books (besides being super cute in my book), marks his run on a different pitch this Friday. He makes his debut as actor in UnIndian, a rom com about the Indian diaspora in Australia. While UnIndian has its highs and lows, Brett makes a surprisingly confident debut, that winning smile doing its work even when he (occasionally) falters with the lines.
t2 takes you through a trademark Brett Lee over, right arm over, this time on screen not green.
♦ Straight and fast, on the off stump: For a debutant, Brett has solid screen presence and nails that dialogue delivery more often than not. He plays Will, a young bloke who tutors overseas students on Australian culture and lingo. His natural charm and camera confidence help him sail through. The performance does lack polish, but there’s something easy and affable about Brett that makes you like him — and Will — instantly.
♦ It’s a bouncer: Determined to woo Meera (Tannishtha Chatterjee), a single mother who he has fallen for, Will does all he can to become “Indian” from “un-Indian”. That means dancing, Bolly style, at a Holi bash, struggling his way through spicy food and even trying his hand at Hindi. Like when he goes, “Maine kachcha nahin pehna”, to disperse a crowd in front of him so that he can get to Meera. A big thumbs-up for Brett the entertainer. He even apes Salman Khan’s steps in Jumme ki raat hai — right down to the signature hand-on-the-collar step — and doesn’t do a bad job at all!
♦ A perfect yorker: Brett the romantic is spot on— from a lot of kissing to quite a bit of action between the sheets. And even when he’s just asking Meera out for coffee, he lends a certain earnestness to Will that makes the scene effortlessly special.
♦ On the third man fence: He’s rarely absent from the action, but it’s to Brett’s credit that whenever Will is not on screen, UnIndian becomes a huge bore. Just like if he was bowling from one end and Andrew Symonds was from the other, you’d just wait to see Brett’s next over. He also manages to hold his own in front of seasoned players like Tannishtha and Supriya Pathak. And you almost wish away Gulshan Grover — loud and hamming — in that one scene that he shares with Brett.
♦ Here he comes running in: Can a film with Brett Lee not have a cricket scene? UnIndian has a couple, with Will being shown playing a spot of cricket with his gang of friends on Sundays. And even if it’s for the camera, that run-up is still as good.
♦ Maiden over: Still handsome at 39, Brett is easy on the eye, especially when he smiles that smile that crinkles his eyes. And those abs, with a towel draped loosely across his waist, are drool-worthy. Enough to bowl over a couple of maidens (sorry, couldn’t resist that pun!).
Priyanka Roy
