Millennials and individuals of Gen-Z are fully aware of the stigma around living up to your parent’s expectations and being the best you can be by marrying rich and getting a high-paying job. Polite Society, Nida Manzoor’s first feature film, which is coming out as limited release on April 28, 2023, provides a glimpse into the messaging that the current generation is being taught: Your dreams are absurd, and you’re silly to believe in them. Oh, and to clean up the mess you and your sibling accidentally made when you beat each other up, and one of you broke down the door… you know, the usual.
Right before attempting her target move, a flying kick spin, Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) fiercely states, “I am the fury.” After falling straight on the ground, she gets up and tries again, this time with the help of her sister Lena (Ritu Arya), who is filming her stunts. Ria is a courageous and explosive British-Pakistani teen who aspires to be a world-renowned stuntwoman.
Naturally, her parents do not consider this a legitimate profession. After dropping out of art school, the Khans prayed that Lena would pursue a medical career. It’s a universally recognized dynamic: the entire family would like the best for you but fails to consider what you want. Ria has to cope with the worry of disappointment and failing to live up to certain parental expectations, in addition to dealing with the difficulties of adolescence. However, more significant issues await.
Although Ria never loses sight of what she would like to do with her life, Lena is unsure about her life’s path. Ria is concerned because she is not as motivated to create art, and her concern evolves with the arrival of Salim (Akshay Khanna). Lena meets her future husband at an Eid party, while Ria detects an overwhelming smell of something sinister. Raheela (Nimra Bucha), the wealthy playboy’s evil mother, and the rich playboy are hatching a wicked master plan to ruin Lena’s future.
When the two of them get engaged, it falls to Ria and her best friends, Alba and Clara (Ella Bruccoleri and Seraphina Beh, both the film’s comedic stars), to devise a way to break up the wedding. Ria’s spy antics and kung-fu brawls distract her from considering whether this marriage is genuinely what her sister desires, and her actions risk severing their sisterhood.
Polite Society appears to have sprung from the pages of a comic book. This film makes you want to kick, flip, and “POW!” The old-time western showdown cues add style to various fantastic stunt work that propels Ria’s story forward. Every fight scene serves a purpose, whether to prove herself to the bully or to knock her sister Lena out. It’s so fun to watch and allow Ria to fail, thereby assisting her to develop and polish her skill. The stunts take place in a variety of settings. In a later scene, the combat choreography involves the gorgeous costume design of Pakistani dresses, with vibrant silks fluttering through the air.
Everything is cinematic and over-the-top but in the best way possible. The film emphasizes Ria and Lena’s emotional battles, but their physical fight is unexpected and brutal. It displays how a broken close connection can feel like a genuine punch in the gut.
The connection between sisters is at the heart of this coming-of-age comedy, and it could have completely missed its mark if the leads were not perfect. Fortunately, Kansara and Arya control their respective scenes while remaining perfectly in sync. Kansara, especially, astounds me. She demonstrates versatility in her debut leading role, skilled at both comedy and comedy. Her disgusted expressions at a glimpse or mention of Salim are particularly amusing. Arya gives Lena a razor-sharp edge in a turn that demonstrates capturing unpredictability. You never know what she’ll do next with her expressions or actions, and Lena’s transformation throughout the film is inspiring.
Manzoor has truly created something unique. While the film’s central criminal plot is slightly too absurd for its good, Polite Society is a daring and enjoyable ode to the action film genre that ruptures the tenaciously held mold of what a combative hero can be. We don’t only get to see an action hero portrayed as a teen girl, but including a lead of South Asian descent embraces an entirely fresh set of people into a genre that has frequently left them out of Western popular culture.
Score: 4 out of 5
Race, culture, and class clashes are explored, but Manzoor’s touch remains light. Polite Society feels so carefree that the movie can feel insignificant at times — its forays into numerous genres are somewhat tedious — but the film has such a sunny disposition that it’s challenging to grieve the approach. Ria wants to protect her sister. However, she wants to discover herself; that road of self-discovery is full of surprises.
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