My Melbourne comprises four short films set in the Australian city but directed by Indian filmmakers. Rima Das, Kabir Khan, Onir and Arif Ali have each helmed stories on the themes of gender, sexuality, race and disability. The films stick closely to the brief, with little variation or indications of individual spark.
Australian actor Arka Das leads Onir’s film about a gay man struggling to come to terms with his mother’s death. In Rima Das’s contribution, a young woman who is gradually losing her hearing finds a way to address her love for dance.
The film by Kabir Khan and Rahul Vohra is about an Afghan refugee family adjusting to their surroundings. In Arif Ali’s film, which has Imtiaz Ali as a creative director, a chef trapped in a bad marriage forges an unusual bond with a homeless woman.
The films emphasise Australia’s embrace of diversity and tolerance towards immigrants. Arif Ali’s Jules – the most memorable film in the anthology – is the only one curious about how immigrants deal with the shock of the new.
Jules is written by Arif Ali, Monique Nair and Shivangi Bhowmick. Arushi Sharma deftly plays Sakshi, one of several chefs at a restaurant. Sakshi hasn’t yet assimilated into Melbourne, a situation not helped by a husband who is borderline abusive.
The homeless Jules (Karla Stewart) initially frightens and then intrigues Sakshi. Through Jules’s unpredictable behaviour, Sakshi finds the strength to approach her own problems with a fresh perspective.
The chapter directed by Rahul Vohra and Kabir Khan continues Khan’s recent preoccupation with sport as a social status booster. Setara (Setara Amiri) has moved from war-torn Afghanistan to Melbourne with her mother and elder sister but without her father. Cricket shows Setara the way to a fairy tale conclusion. Setara Amiri, An Afghan refugee, sweetly plays a version of herself.
Apart from Jules, none of the films reveals how the Indian directors view a city to which they do not belong or a society that they are seeing from the outside. My Melbourne ticks all the right boxes, with little insight into what it really means to sink roots Down Under.
