By Keenal Majithia

Blindian: A person of mixed Indian and black heritage; A couple where one person is black and the other is Indian.

#Blindian Project: An amazing social media project which aims to shatter stereotypes across social media and celebrates blindian relationships.

Bollywood combines with Nollywood, in a film that will excite audiences of both industries. Namaste Wahala is the directorial debut of Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, an international speaker and entrepreneur. The movie has been eagerly awaited by black and brown audiences as its initial release date of 24th April 2020 had been delayed due to covid. It finally graced the smaller screen right before Valentine’s Day on 12th February 2021 on Netflix.

Ahuja herself was born in India and has lived most of her life in Nigeria, having also been educated in Canada, the UK and US. This movie has been a passion project of hers for quite some time, so it was rewarding to see it in its entirety, as well as watch Ahuja star in the film herself!

A meet-cute between an Indian man, Raj, and a Nigerian woman, Didi, played by Nollywood actress Ini Dima-Okojie and Bollywood actor Ruslaan Mumtaz, results in love at first sight for the gorgeous protagonists. Of course it wouldn’t be a true rom-com if there wasn’t an obstacle in their way. Theirs is a big one – Race. Culture. Family pressures. Ok, so three.

Both film industries are known to be dramatic in elaborate fashion, with Nigerian film plot lines stereotypically requiring a degree of suspension of belief to follow some outlandish story. This is similar to many melodramatic and fanciful Bollywood classics, also requiring you to forget reality for several minutes at a time as the lead protagonists do a dance number by the pyramids or mountains, before the next scene brings you back to ‘reality’.

I was pleased to see some singing and dancing which nodded to Bollywood, with a little melodrama too. However, the main course was definitely cheese. Feel good, heart-warming romantic cheesiness. Hear me out – the level was perfect for a valentine’s flick and balanced the more serious moments perfectly. It gave the characters an added layer of intimacy so that we could enjoy their relationship as viewers and see their love for what it was.

We also get to see some well-deserved love between the mothers – not quite at first though, we have to wait. The gloves definitely come off when Joke Silva’s and Sujata Sehgal’s characters first meet. However, this turns around quick enough to give you whiplash by the end of the movie as the families, quite literally, come together around the dinner table. Knowing how important family is in both cultures, I’m thrilled to see how much screen time the families receive so we can witness their influence on their children. After all, you don’t just marry the person, you marry the family.

We see the cultures fuse throughout the movie with Hindi and Yoruba interspersed in the dialogue. The wedding clearly, but quickly, shows jollof biryani (can someone please make this ASAP?) and the movie shows similarities in family reactions to the ‘other’ person in the relationship. Not to mention, the soundtrack perfectly captured the essence of the film. I can’t wait to dance to I Don't Want To Let You Go once we have a covid-free wedding season again.

However, I see why some viewers found this movie almost too…ordinary. On the surface, it appears to typify the Romeo and Juliet trope we have seen in countless movies. The film doesn’t delve deep enough into the anti-blackness within the South Asian community or a myriad of other issues, and seems to close quite neatly. However, I think for a film under two hours, that is still somewhat light-hearted, the fact that it is a Blindian couple – that get a happy ending no less - is ground breaking enough here.

Whilst Nigeria has long been a fan of Bollywood movies, with it having left an indelible mark on Hausa people and its culture in particular, the two countries film industries only began collaborating in 2012, with its first co-production being J.U.D.E, directed by Chukwuma Osakwe. Now tell me, how many of you have been able to see this movie anywhere online, on DVD or by any other means? If you have, I suggest you apply for the secret service (and tell me how to watch it!) because it is not easy to find. Since then, there have been a few other movies with collaboration, but these have not gained mainstream success as Hollywood often dominates.

If Ahuja’s movie can garner mainstream success, it could potentially pave the way for more Nollywood and Bollywood crossovers. Whilst both industries produce more movies than Hollywood, they are not as successful, or as nominated for critically acclaimed awards like the Oscars. Perhaps collaborations like this could be key in producing movies for a larger demographic as they combine their audiences and portray onscreen narratives that appeal to people who are sometimes ignored by Hollywood or insultingly whitewashed.

So what did you think of this film? Was it a standard rom-com for you or did it provide you with some delightful escapism? For me, it was the latter, and more importantly, it provided hope for the future, hope that we can normalise and accept blindian and blasian love in our cultures.

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