Mrs Sethi, a widow, can't bear the thought of her daughter being alone and unhappy. Okay, she's a little plump and opinionated…but she would make a great wife for some lucky man, if only she were given a chance. When Mrs Sethi can no longer stomach the rudeness of families who refuse her daughter, she takes matters into her own hands with the only way she knows...Suddenly a police hunt begins for a serial murderer who cooks a killer curry.

Mrs Sethi doesn't feel too guilty until the spirits of her victims come back to haunt her as they are unable to be reincarnated until their murderer dies. Mrs Sethi has no problem killing herself – she'll get to see her dead husband again – but how can she go before her daughter is married?

The spirits realize that helping Mrs Sethi’s daughter find a suitable husband before the police catch her is their only chance for a wonderful afterlife.

It's a big bloody wedding and a comic feast which takes the phrase 'I could murder a curry' to hysterical new heights.

Movie Review:

When a movie starts off with a scene of a fiery curry-induced, gut-flying, half-digested food-spewing stomach explosion, and there is no Gil Grissom involved, you know that you’re not supposed to take much of it seriously. With the constant jibing at Brit-Indian cultural quirks and stereotypes, It’s a Wonderful Afterlife, which is itself a play on the title of that Frank Capra’s forties classic, is essentially a parody despite the mélange of drama, horror and romance present.

One of the biggest Bollywood tropes is at the center of the plot: the matriarch seeking a groom for her daughter. The main question that the movie poses to the audience is: how far will the matriarch go in fulfilling her familial duty? Apparently, it’s pretty far when Mrs Sethil (Shabana Azmi) sets on a killing spree upon those who have snuffed out daughter Roopi’s dreams of marital bliss because “she’s too fat.” Her weapons of choice: the aforementioned fiery curry, chapatti dough, a rolling pin and skewered chicken tikka. Are you tickled by the irony yet? And oh, the victims actually come back as the undead to help in the search. No, they don’t quite develop Stockholm Syndrome; they just want to cleanse themselves of sinning towards the nice, fat girl and escape purgatory. Comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar, a familiar face in the movie’s obvious parody telly influences – Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42, appears as one of them. He plays a chauvinistic ex-suitor ghost who is most cruel about Roopi’s weight. But don’t worry, girl and guys, if you’ve watched Gurinder Chadha’s older offerings (pun intended), you’d know that she has a bit of cheeky girl power in her work (Bend it Like Beckham, anyone?) and the fat joke-serving sexist does get his comeuppance in the form of hanging gut tendrils.

As in the tradition of Brit-Asian parody, the movie does not spare western culture as well. Just look out for Linda (Sally Hawkins) – Roopi’s best friend, who trades materialism for meditation and an impending Punjab marriage to one Dev after a six-week stint in an Ashram.

As the woman behind the aforementioned Bend it Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice and the “Quais de Seine” (the one with the girl in hijab and the chivalrous French boy) segment in Paris Je T’aime, Chadha is also known for her silverscreen matchmaking skills between east and west. In It’s a Wonderful Afterlife however, the couple in question is both of the same culture and the mismatched aspect is yes, you guessed it, in their physique. Roopi - the cute girl with the big appetite, and Murthy - the hot detective with the big abs, are played by Goldy Notay and Sendhil Ramamurthy (yes that’s THE Dr. Suresh from Heroes) respectively. Unfortunately, the romance that the whole plot is geared towards falls flat as it elbows for space amongst the wacky jokes and wackier drama. Even though Detective Murthy is forced by his superior to play boyfriend to Roopi at first in order to solve the multiple murder mystery, the transformation of his feelings towards her is not really explored to make his eventual marriage proposal or the whole romance even, that convincing. Perhaps, this is the only irony that Chadha does not intend to portray.

Although there are several touching scenes that touch on familial values, unfortunately, the performances are not quite memorable. Well, at least they’re not as memorable as the scenes involving ganja-laced food, rat poisoned-food and more flying food. Alas, those who like Hollywood slapstick humour a la Scary Movie would probably find the movie more appealing even though it is made for fans of Brit-Asian parody.

Movie Rating:



(When a movie about the undead wraps itself up with the Bee Gees’ Stayin Alive, you know it’s more of a light appetizer than a heavy main course)

Reviewed by Siti Nursyafiqa