Revisiting Namastey London: A run-of-the-mill romance and a stunning Katrina Kaif

Written by Anvita Singh | New Delhi | Updated: October 17, 2018 8:23:39 am

Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in a still from Namastey London

Simple man meets complicated woman, they fall in love and the audience gets its happy ending. Vipul Amrutlal Shahs 2007 film Namastey London is just that – it is a one-dimensional narrative with equally unidimensional characters, except maybe that of its lead female character Jasmeet (Katrina Kaif).

The films primary plot revolves around Jasmeet, who is an Indian born and brought up in the UK. She loves to party, dress fashionably and drink the night away. One day, Jasmeet breaks the news to her parents (Rishi Kapoor and Nina Wadia) that she intends to marry a white guy, and things go haywire. Her parents pack up and move to their native place in order to secure the perfect groom for her. Enter Akshay Kumars Arjun Singh who instantly falls for Jasmeet. They move back to Britain where Akshay, like the quintessential Bollywood hero, wins the heart of his love.

[embedded content]

Nothing is exceptional about this romantic drama. It is your regular Bollywood song-and-dance story that lacks heart and attempts to woo the viewers through a few fun songs, a good-looking cast and pretty locations. In fact, come to think of it, the film does stand out. Especially during that one scene which has since then gone viral on the internet. Yes, I am talking about that sequence where Akshay Kumar gives an extremely patriotic speech about how we should be proud of where we belong to and in return, he gets a thunderous applause. So apart from the generalisation that the girl will fall for the desi boy, there is also the generalisation that people are racists, which is what prompted Akshays character to make that cringe-worthy speech in the first place.

Since Namastey London was mediocre, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah decided to go ahead and make a sequel (of sorts) called Namaste England. Not only is that idea unique, but the name of the movie is one-of-a-kind as well. And if you are one of those who has seen the trailer, then you will realise how the treatment of the plot is starkly different from that of Namastey London. Basically, get ready to feast your eyes on another forgettable romance.