Jimmy Sheirgill

(On TV, May 2020) Indian romance Jindua landed on my DVR because I was intrigued by the TV Guide logline talking about an Indian film taking place in Calgary. The result doesn’t disappoint in that regard—the very first shot of the actual film is a Canadian maple leaf, and the first scene takes place at a citizenship ceremony. As the film flashbacks, we understand that the film is a romantic triangle in which an illegal Indian immigrant in Canada is offered a choice: marry an aspiring rock star and get citizenship, or get departed back to India to be with his true girlfriend. He doesn’t make the right choice, and much of the film’s second half is spent trying to untangle the results. It’s all quite likable and heartwarming, but the reason why Canadians may want to take a look at this film is how it treats the national myth of immigration from the other side, filled with doubts and tough choices. As a binational film about binational characters, it has a complex relationship with citizenship—The film’s centrepiece sequence, as far as I’m concerned, takes place at a Canadian citizenship ceremony, and it doesn’t go anything like Canadian proponents of immigration would like it to go… but the character finally makes the right choice. (And I’d support him—only become Canadian if you really want to be Canadian.) Otherwise, well, it’s really cool to see a Bollywood romantic comedy play over very Canadian backdrops, from the suburbs of Calgary to the Albertan national parks. Navaniat Singh shows some directorial flair here even when the film is being as melodramatic as possible, and the use of drones as a cinematographic tool works well. Jimmy Sheirgill is pretty good in the lead role, but I, as could be expected, only had eyes for the superb Neeru Bajwa and Sargun Mehta at the other ends of that romantic triangle. I’m not saying it’s a great film—it’s weird to see a full music video (Jinhua = “oh my love”) shoved awkwardly in the opening minutes, complete with on-screen credits listing who has worked on the music video. I’m also not that happy with the ending, even if I recognize that this is an Indian rather than a Canadian film, and the plot pretty much painted itself in a corner by that time, with only one easy (and nationalistic) way out. Still, this reverse look at Canadian immigration is provocative, and not necessarily opposed to Canada—immigration is a choice, and not always the right one.