EAT • SLEEP • REVIEW • REPEAT
POLITE SOCIETY
Sisterhood, saris & sick moves.
British cinema really is a wonderful thing. Regardless of budget, background or genre, British cinema has always been there to put in a shift and offer its own distinct, unique, frequently unconventional voice.
However, for all its many qualities, this country’s cinematic output certainly has its fair share of issues. Of course, this really isn’t the time or the place to tear through the disappointingly long list of problems with the British film industry, so let’s just say the whole thing is always in need of a good, firm kick up the arse every now and then.
Forever caught somewhere between Hollywood and Europe and habitually tangled up in the country’s infuriating politics and class structure, British film has a nasty habit of playing things far too safe and far too stuffily far too often. For every Trainspotting, Four Lions or Hot Fuzz, there’s the likes of The King’s Speech, Mrs Browns Boys or a Richard Curtis joint just waiting there to drag us back to the dark side.
Crowd-pleasing, arse-kicking cinema is, quite frankly, not something us Brits have ever found much luck with, turning as we always seem to, to America for that sort of thing. That said, as Polite Society so wonderfully demonstrates, action-packed, genre-blending cinema that mixes high-concept thrills with a distinctly British sensibility has always been out there and always ready to land a roundhouse kick square to the face of the industry.
When the once impenetrable sibling bond between aspiring stunt woman Ria (Priya Kansara) and Lena (Ritu Arya) is threatened as wealthy suiter Salim (Akshay Khanna) whisks her older sister off her feet, Ria sets out on a mission to save Lena from her impending marriage/doom. When Ria’s misgivings about Salim’s family’s dark intentions are confirmed, it’s left to the martial arts enthusiast and her misfit group of friends to the wedding heist to end all wedding heists, all in the name of independence and sisterhood.
Fresh off her anarchic (and frequently hilarious) Channel 4 series We Are Lady Parts, writer-director Nida Manzoor wastes no time getting back to it and re-establishing that same sense of spiky, punky sisterhood with Polite Society. Offering the kind of genre-blending good time British cinema has rarely seen since Edgar Wright’s heyday while never losing her prickly filmmaking personality, Manzoor has produced one hell of a debut feature.
Positively brimming with confidence and an assured style that belies her relative lack of directorial experience, Manzoor takes broad Brit comedy, sweet family drama, and high-octane martial arts, together with a huge dose of South Asian representation, and melds them all together in a way that’s both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly unique.
While it’s hard to shake off the nagging feeling that the film could’ve gone far harder with many of these elements, especially the action, the result offers good times aplenty. As with any genre-mashing effort, there’s always a chance that some elements could get lost in the mix, and that certainly feels like the case here, as the martial arts, despite being a huge part of Polite Society’s marketing, often appears to be holding back on us.
Despite this, Polite Society makes for one hell of a ride, with a heady blend of styles and genres that lands more punches than it misses. Playing a crucial role in ensuring all these battling elements tick, Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya work both with and opposite one another perfectly, throwing themselves into everything the script demands and clearly having a blast while doing so.
As dual female leads heading a largely Asian cast, Kansara and Arya fully embrace their roles and respective responsibilities, using their undeniable and endearing chemistry as the foundation for performances that are equal parts heart-warming, hilarious, and absolutely badass. It’s to the immense credit of Nida Manzoor’s writing that the sisterly bond between Ria and Lena comes across so well, especially considering the heightened, frequently silly, antics popping off around them.
Priya Kansara, in particular, is an absolute smash hit. Tasked with taking on most of the film’s action, Kansara steps up to the plate with ease, wholeheartedly embracing the film’s martial arts elements while bringing a level of energy, personality, and on-screen charisma that marks her out as a true star in the making.
Written as an all-action hero but with clear vulnerability and an admirable depth, Kansara’s Ria offers the kind of fully rounded female action lead you so rarely get from any movie, let alone a British one. The high level of scripting for her character, together with Arya’s Lena, from Manzoor is what really allows Polite Society to stand out from the crowd. That said, it’s a real shame that this doesn’t extend to the rest of the cast.
From grating, wisecracking best friends to comical, moustache-twirling villains, the broad, over-the-top elements that make up the rest of Polite Society’s script aren’t a deal breaker, yet they often hold it back from its full potential. Of the film’s many battling elements, its these wacky, plot-padding moments that never quite land as frequently as one might hope, however, when the film is as wholesomely fun as this is, it’s never too hard to work through them.
And fun, at the end of the day, is ultimately what Polite Society aims to deliver. Yes, the plot is ridiculous, and its humour is a little overcooked at times, however, allow yourself to flow with it all and you’re in for a real treat.
At full steam, Polite Society’s action is an absolute blast, and when combined with its cultural elements, really delivers. In a whirlwind of colour, sound, and striking choreography, the film’s final third offers a satisfying blend of Bollywood and martial arts that packs quite the punch.
Always authentic and never forced, it’s this seamless blend of action and cultural representation that marks Polite Society out. In an explosion of colour and energy, the representation of the British Asian community is loud and proud, and while it’s hardly the most overtly political of films, it certainly finds ways to prod and probe Islamic culture in an entirely accessible way.
With two strong, kick-ass, overtly independent Muslim women leading the line, Polite Society allows for the kind of platform rarely afforded in Western cinema. Making the perfect follow up to the similarly themed We Are Lady Parts, this is a film of complicated, powerful women of colour that, for all its faults, marks Nida Manzoor out to be one of Britain’s brightest young filmmaking voices.
Mixing broad British comedy, wry social commentary, wholesome family drama, and high-octane martial arts, with a heavy dose of cultural representation thrown in for good measure, Polite Society is an immensely fun, genre-bending British actioner these shores have rarely seen since Edgar Wright’s heyday. Although it could’ve certainly gone harder with some of its elements, Polite Society is a bold blend of British wit and Bollywood badassery that leaves its mark.
