On film, in a campy Bollywood comedy called Tere Bin Laden, with a fun Desi soundtrack
It appears that just in time for September 11, Osama Bin Laden has finally been captured. On film. In India. In spite of rumors earlier this year that Osama was alive and well and enjoying a relaxing life in Iran with his falcons, it turns out he’s actually happily surrounded by cocks in Pakistan. At least that’s the basis of the premise for a new Indian comedy called Tere Bin Laden. In spite of an obviously limited budget, the film is actually a fun 90-minute goof full of jabs at the war on terror and the cultural collisions of south Asia and the middle east. The story revolves around a young reporter working for a low-budget Pakistani TV news channel that dreams of moving to “Amreeka” and becoming a famous international correspondent. Having been deported from the US once already, his chances of realizing his dream have become slim. Given a choice of either creating a new identity with a forged passport for 272 grand (in an unspecified currency) or going to Iran as a mujahadeen so he could surrender in Iraq and get to America for free – but as a traitor/insurgent – he is convinced his dreams may be dashed. After botching the coverage of a press conference and being forced to pay his boss a fine to keep his job, the last straw is when he and his partner get assigned to a “cock opera”, i.e., a rooster crowing contest. His fortune seems to turn while editing the footage from the contest, when he realizes that the owner of the winning chicken is a dead ringer for Osama Bin Laden. This inspires him to hatch a crazy plan that ends up causing a US invasion. The flick is no cinematic masterpiece, but is a fun piece of Bollywood camp that shows a lot of potential for the team that created it. It was written and directed by Abhishek Sharma, and produced by Pooja Shetty Deora and Aarti Shetty. The gags are silly, the cultural cliches are rampant, but I enjoyed it if only for a fresh view of America from abroad, the hilariously bad American accents, and a mostly upbeat desi soundtrack. The site for the movie is kind of amusing too. Trailer and screengrabs below. You might watch the film simply because you can, it’s been banned in Pakistan.
It appears that just in time for September 11, Osama Bin Laden has finally been captured. On film. In India. In spite of rumors earlier this year that Osama was alive and well and enjoying a relaxing life in Iran with his falcons, it turns out he’s actually happily surrounded by cocks in Pakistan. At least that’s the basis of the premise for a new Indian comedy called Tere Bin Laden
