POPCORN REVIEWSS

An official adapation of the beautiful story by Charles Dickens titled ‘A Christmas Carol’ and written by Gurinder Chadha, the intentions of Christmas Karma feel right despite a wobbly foundation it wishes to mount itself on. And the same can be felt (partly) with the emotional core of the film that centers itself around its flawed protagonist Sood. But the major issue for me were the tonal inconsistencies that laced the narrative here, particularly when the drama wishes to stray away from the emotional core in exchange for a few moments of comedy that feel loud and typically out of place. The broad strokes imbibe a searing commentary of racism and eviction, particularly from the gaze of an immigrant but the same emotional core is buried beneath a frivolous layer of a cross-cultural ‘Christmassy’ cracker that doubles up as a distraction more than anything else. Yes, Christmas maybe a secular festival across the globe and it sure remains my favourite time of the year, but it also means blending in the culture as opposed to jarringly hijacking it. It is much like Diwali and how foreigners imbibe the cultural significance of it, as opposed to having their rendition of it. This frequent tonal shift heartbreakingly drowns the drama that still has its heart in the right place.

An instance of the tonal inconsistencies include the staff of Sood enjoying Christmas Eve with drinks, singing and dancing out of nowhere to music that is out of sync with the writer choosing to pass this montage off like a comedy. The issue might seem fleeting given that the sequence is short-lived, but in that montage I didn’t necessarily feel the spirit of Christmas which was the core emotion. It is a very specific issue that consistently finds a place in the narrative at different junctures, something that pauses the emotional core of the film momentarily. Another case in point being the three ghosts that appear in the life of Sood – the ghost of the Christmas past (Eva Longoria), the ghost of the Christmas present (Billy Porter), and the ghost of the Christmas future (Boy George). The tonal shift from a depressive streak of Sood to the joyous and campy projections of ghost is so jarring, that it momentarily disconnects you from the proceedings. And add to that, a smaller issue with respect to the setting wherein Sood’s ‘not-so-warm’ house felt a tad too spacious as opposed to the one in the book, wherein the underlying emotion was of gloom owing to a small little house. The old, dark and dreary house of Scrooge didn’t feel like one when compared to Sood.

This doesn’t mean that the drama is completely devoid of emotions. In fact, the subtext of immigration is tackled with sensitivity despite oversimplifying the struggles of the protagonist. The specific context remains that of East Africa wherein Asians and Foreigners were driven out of Uganda, a painful thought in itself of having to leave your home and friends behind. This does justify Sood’s trauma that has stuck with him for over the years. Even the emotional core with respect to Sood’s denial of providing a hike to Bob, his accountant at his work place, only to find out about his family and how one of his son’s has tumour, has got to be one of the most pure moments of the film. Yes, it might seem to be manipulative but it still has its heart in the right place. Some of the other moments including Sood suffering a heartbreak due to his own antics or being at the receiving end of racism (both convenient given that there isn’t enough buildup around it to truely hold you in the moment) owing him to be bitter, does partly engulf you in the drama at crucial moments.

I wished the film did carry forward some of its momentum at crucial junctures, instead of the itch of wanting to provide some cross-cultural comic relief. For instance, a random Punjabi number playing out at an Asian household during Christmas might seem like an innovative idea on paper- but on celluloid, it did turn out to be jarring and partly cringe. Yes, it is a representation of the Asian society in London but I couldn’t help but think on how that sequence took me away from the joyous Christmassy feel that the drama wished to hold onto. It might be an acquired taste but perhaps I am not ready for it. It sticks out even more given how the scene post that sequence is of Sood’s realisation of the larger picture, a sneak-peek into his future that is laced with tragedies due to his own karma. And to top it, a simplified ending with a mismash of culture that felt like a thematic capsule of the entire film – working in parts but not in its entirety.