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Four Samosas takes inspiration from the Wes Anderson style of storytelling but with a South Asian twist. The movie follows Vinny, a hopeful rapper from Artesia, California who finds out his ex-girlfriend is engaged. As a result, he teams up with three other misfits to execute a heist to steal her father’s diamonds and get her back.
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Why The South Asian Flair Works So Well
Right off the bat, there’s a certain level of cheesy humor this movie manages to reach, causing it to have some extremely cringey moments. That may come off as a negative quality to some and understandably so, particularly with the execution of certain scenes and jokes. But I think given the nature of the film and the inspiration for its style, it fits rather well and gives the movie its own unique flair. I was kept amused throughout the film as it reminded me of lesser known Bollywood comedies I used to watch as a teenager.
The visuals deeply resemble Wes Anderson’s style, both in the way it moves from one point of the story to the next, as well as in color tones. But what I love so much about it is that it meshes well with South Asian culture which plays a large role throughout the movie, especially with its yellow tones that are typically used in western media to represent South Asian countries, now being used to paint an Indian community in Southern California. Additionally, it uses textual introductions and transitions to move the story along while also giving the viewer just enough information as indicator of relevant characters and important stages of the plot.
I absolutely love the diversity of characters in personality as they each have different goals and varying contributions to their overall mission. Personally, I resonated and loved the character of Paru played by Sonal Shah, who kept me laughing in every scene in which she took priority. And with the exception of Karan Soni who remains a ray of light and comedy when he shows up on the screen, the remainder of the cast was very fresh and new for me. Venk Potula stands out as an entertaining lead while the rest of the small cast bring out their comedic talent as best as they can to round out the film.
Samosa Says…
Four Samosas is by no means “Oscar material”, whatever that means, but it’s completely worth the watch. The visuals are familiar yet unique, the dialogue is corny and reminiscent of South Asian humor, and the cast of characters are diverse amongst themselves. And as simple as the story is, it allows for other aspects of the film to shine, even if at times, it leads to you shaking your head and facepalming. If you’re looking for a South Asian-led film to watch or you need a Wes Anderson fix, you simply can’t miss out on Four Samosas.
Samosa Rating:
Four Samosas receives 4 out of 5 Samosas.
Four Samosas is now playing in select theaters, and is available to rent/buy on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.
