I Is For India (2006) Movie Information:

I Is For India (2006) Directed by: Sandhya Suri I Is For India (2006) Written by: Sandhya Suri I Is For India (2006) Cast: Yash Pal Suri, Sheel Suri, Neeraj Suri, Vanita Suri, Sandhya Suri

I Is For India (2006) U.S. Distributor: Not available at this time I Is For India (2006) U.K. Distributor: ICA Films

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I Is For India (2006) Synopsis:

In 1966 at age 33, Yash Pal Suri moved to England with his wife and daughter to continue his education as a doctor. He bought two sets of Super 8 cameras, projectors and reel-to-reel recorders, and sent one set home to his family in India. Over the years, they sent film and tapes back and forth--Yash's images of life in Britain are answered with clips of weddings, funerals and village life back home.

I Is For India (2006) Movie Review:

This intriguing, involving documentary works beautifully both as an intensely personal family history and as an intriguing comment on today's global culture.

In 1966 at age 33, Yash Pal Suri moved to England with his wife and daughter to continue his education as a doctor. He bought two sets of Super 8 cameras, projectors and reel-to-reel recorders, and sent one set home to his family in India. Over the years, they sent film and tapes back and forth--Yash's images of life in Britain are answered with clips of weddings, funerals and village life back home.

Through it all, there's a sense of longing. Yash still feels the call of his homeland, but knows that staying in England will give him more career opportunities and a better life for his three daughters. Meanwhile, his parents and brother continually ask him when he is returning home. "I wasn't the only one who believed in the myth of returning," he says. And even though they often felt like misfits in Britain (especially during the surge of Thatcher-fuelled nationalism in the 1970s), it was 17 years before they returned to India.

Youngest daughter Sandhya assembles this film beautifully, compiling a wealth of audio and cinematic correspondence along with present-day interviews and some priceless archive footage. This is done with wit and emotion, insightfully expressing the blending of two cultures and the difficulties of assimilation and homesickness. She also includes astute sequences that mark the passage of time over nearly 40 years, as the same hard decisions come back to challenge the following generation.

What sets this apart is its intimate tone, as the film gets deep into the souls of these people, examining their changing perspectives. An especially vivid section demonstrates in a complex way why you can never really go home again. The film is packed with engaging segments, including a 1971 disco party, holidays to the seaside (complete with the Blackpool lights) and even a webcam chat in 2005. And along the way we get sharp comments on xenophobia, culture clashes and where home really lies. This is a wonderful film, assembled with heart, passion and warm humour. Any family that's ever been divided by an ocean will treasure it.

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I Is For India (2006) review written by: Rich Cline